Frost
by Miss Chocolat
Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and a hunter nin, but two hunter nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink... REWRITING
1. Chapter 1

Full Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and one Hunter Nin, but two Hunter Nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink…

Disclaimer: No own.

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Yes, I know. xD You're all like, 'Update your other stories, you bitch!' Sorry, but I had to do this… It's just like… one of those NEEDS… Sorry… I may also try to incorporate some of my little Japanese I know, so excuse me… If I use a Japanese word, I'll have the translations… Unless it's EXTREMELY easy to know what it means... (Like 'okaa-sama' for example…) But, I'd rather sway away from it so… Maybe just a few phrases here and there, when I think the Japanese phrases sound better than the English when said… Heh…

PS: I also now do a page and word count, along with a 'warning' thing (but I don't think I'll put in really bad stuff… I keep meh stuff teen, excuse brief, UNDESCRIBED nudity… but even so, THAT's very rare of me.), so yesh. I find it more… organized… Plus, I also like knowing if there is content I'd rather skip on… But I never do, anyways… Hah.

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Um, dialogue won't be exact… Pardon that. I try my best to do my best from memory…

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Also, the amount of –'s shows how much time passed. So, if there is one of theme, a short amount passed. If there's three or four, a good amount has passed.

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Warnings: None

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Page count: 16

Word count: 7,027

**Frost**

**Chapter 1**

**The Two Hunters from the Mist**

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**-**

As Sai insulted Naruto for being stupid, Kakashi inspected the white rabbit Naruto had shot at with a kunai. He noticed that the rabbit's fur was white, meaning it had been raised in captivity. He listened carefully, and widened his eye.

"Get down!" he commanded, dragging Naruto to the floor. Sasuke fell to the floor and Sai dragged Tazuna, their charge, to the ground. Just in time too, as a large sword came flying across the area. It lodged itself into a tree, and a figure landed onto it.

"Well, what do we have here? Copycat Kakashi…" the tall, shirtless man remarked, sounding gruff and coarse.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, "Momochi Zabuza, rouge nin…" Kakashi said, "How do you know who I am?"

Zabuza laughed, "You've done your homework Kakashi. I know all about you: Sharingan Kakashi, the man said to have copied over 1000 jutsu. A top ninja in the bingo book…"

Kakashi, grunted, "And what do you want from me?"

Zabuza laughed as he dislodged his sword, "Not you, but the man you're guarding. I must say though, I am quite honored to have seen your famous Sharingan…"

Sasuke gasped, he knew of the Sharingan? If Kakashi had a Sharingan… Wouldn't that mean he was…?

Naruto was very confused, wondering what 'Sharingan' was.

"No one has ever seen it twice," Kakashi said, "and I don't plan on changing that." Zabuza laughed.

As his rough laughs subsided, he looked towards Kakashi, a deadly glint to his eye, "Well, that's too bad, isn't it? I guess you'll have to make an exception for me!" Zabuza yelled, swinging his large sword at Kakashi. Kakashi dodged to prevent himself from being beheaded. Naruto was about to jump in, but Kakashi's voice halted his actions.

"No, Naruto!" Kakashi yelled to the boy behind him. "This battle is way out of your league! Stay back and guard Tazuna!" Naruto looked defiant for a minute, but he winced and stepped back. Kakashi turned back to Tazuna. "I guess I'll have to get serious…" He lifted his headband, revealing a scar and a Sharingan eye with three tomoe.

Sai stared at the eye, and Sasuke gasped. He whispered the name of the doujutsu, astounded.

"Ugh!" Naruto called out, holding his head in confusion. "What is this 'Sharingan' everyone keeps talking about?!"

"Sharingan…" Sasuke started, "is a bloodline limit in the eyes… Capable to see through genjutsu and turn it against your enemy…" Naruto stared at his sensei with new amazement.

"You've only scratched the surface, kid," Zabuza remarked. "There's much more to it."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. "The surface?"

"It not only does that…" Zabuza started, "it can also copy any jutsu to the _tiniest_ detail." As he informed this, fog started to pool in the area. "I was sent for an assassination… and I also get to face Copycat Kakashi. Lucky me." Zabuza moved into the mist, disappearing. The Team 7 gennin moved into a protective triangle around their charge. Tazuna was scared, afraid Zabuza would kill him.

Sai yelled out to Kakashi, "He's standing on the water!" Everyone turned to see Zabuza standing on water, defying logic. Zabuza was in an odd stance, with one arm propelled into the air and the other in a common chakra-focusing sign.

Kakashi noticed that he was building up a large amount of chakra. 'What is he doing?'

"Kiri Gakure no Jutsu!" Zabuza called out, summoning a thick fog to hide himself and cause all the ninja to lose sight.

"What the? I can't see anything!" Naruto yelled looking around for Kakashi and Zabuza. Kakashi mostly.

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke commanded, standing with a kunai out. "Our job is to protect Tazuna. Focus on it." Naruto growled as he drew out a kunai and stood in a stance identical to the two black eyed gennin.

"Don't worry about it Naruto—he's merely hiding in the mist." Kakashi told him. "He'll go after me, but stay on guard."

"Hai!" Naruto said, as the other two only made committal sounds.

"Good, this guy is very talented in the art of silent kill."

"S-silent?" Naruto echoed, frightened more than before.

"Yes, silent. He sneaks up from behind you and gets you when you don't expect it." He waited for Zabuza to attack, and, when he did, started a small war between the two. The gennin were choked by the thick atmosphere of killing intent.

'It-it's like I can't breathe!' Naruto yelled in his head, eyes widening in terror.

'It's like squeezing the life out of me…' Sasuke winced, holding his kunai with more force than intended.

When they saw Zabuza trap Kakashi into a water cage, they started to get extremely worried. Zabuza had created a clone to deal with Tazuna. The clone had disappeared into the mist, running ready to attack. It kicked Naruto, sending him backwards, making his hitae-ate flying off. The clone stepped its foot onto the hitae-ate bearing the Konoha symbol.

"The life of a ninja is paved with death and blood! You'll never survive, being so weak! When I was your age, I had killed all of my classmates! When you earn a place in the bingo books, I'll call you a '_ninja_'!" It called out, crushing the hitae-ate into the ground. Naruto rose, and wiped the dirt from his mouth. He glared, and thought of all the things that had happened. He angrily charged, ignoring his teammates' calls. The Zabuza clone had sent him back, making all his effort seems pointless—or as it seemed. Naruto had gotten up, _hitae-ate in hand_.

'He did all of that just for his hitae-ate?' Sasuke thought, staring at his teammate. Sai glanced over unemotionally, not truly caring.

"Sasuke," Naruto started, "Let's go all out." He smirked towards the Uchiha's direction. Sasuke smirked in return, and the two boys started to fight the Zabuza clone. Sai stood back, protecting Tazuna and let the two boys do their work. The boys destroyed the clone, and went over to the true Zabuza. Naruto was kicked back, but reached into his backpack. 'I've still got something!' "Sasuke!" he called out, throwing Sasuke a Kage Shuriken. Sasuke smirked as he realized right away Naruto's plan. Sasuke threw the large shuriken towards Zabuza.

"It's gonna hit!" Sai said, watching with Tazuna. To his surprise and horror, Zabuza laughed and caught it. Sasuke smirked as another Kage Shuriken came towards Zabuza. Now, he couldn't escape without letting go of the water cage. Zabuza grunted, and, to everyone's terror, jumped over the offending projectile. "What?!" Sai worriedly said leaning forwards to make sure he was seeing the truth.

All of a sudden, Naruto's voice sounded from behind Zabuza, "Not so fast!" he yelled. He grinned as he threw a kunai straight towards Zabuza's back. Zabuza made a noise of displeasure as he watched the kunai come towards him. He unwillingly let go of the cage, and jumped out of the way, dropping the kage shuriken into the water.

"Thanks Naruto, Sasuke." Kakashi said, standing up, amazed at their teamwork. "I'll take it from here!" he exclaimed, running towards Zabuza. Kakashi relentlessly sent attack after attack, and finally pinning Zabuza into a tree. Zabuza had kunai and shuriken lodged into his body as he yelled in pain. Kakashi appeared before the bloodied man to send the finishing blow. "Zabuza, the Sharingan can also see the future, and I predict that this is your last battle!" Before he could kill Zabuza, senbon punctured his neck, killing him instantly. Kakashi gasped and Zabuza fell to the ground.

"What?!" Naruto yelled in question, looking around frantically.

"Thank you for weakening Zabuza," a feminine voice called out from the trees. Team 7 and Tazuna looked upwards, and found a brunette in a kimono-like outfit. His hair was done in a bun, and he had two bangs hanging in front of his face with two small clasps. He wore a hunter nin mask, hiding his face. The transported down, kneeling next to Zabuza.

"A hunter nin?" Kakashi pondered. "It would make sense."

"What's a hunter nin?" Naruto asked, still amazed.

"A hunter nin is a ninja that deals with nuke nin from their villages. They destroy the body, so none of the clan secrets were to get out." Sai answered. Naruto was amazed that this boy was no older than him, yet he had killed Zabuza!

"How?!" he angrily questioned. "How did he kill him?! It seemed so easy!" Naruto started to leap towards the boy, but another hunter nin with pink hair blocked his path. She was dressed in a short kimono, and also had a mask on. Her pink hair was styled similarly, but she had a long ponytail cascading from it. Also, her bun cover had hanging ornaments, and her hair clasps were white, and not silver.

"I will not allow you to harm him." She had her arms spread out in an act of protection. Naruto stopped, and was entranced by her voice. It sounded proud and majestic, while calm and collected. He could've compared it to ice—it had a no nonsense sound to it. Yet, it was also short and cold, piercing through his soul. "Please step back." The boy hunter nin picked up Zabuza, and thanked them once more. Turning to the girl hunter, the boy asked her to thank them also. Without waiting for a second to pass, the girl bowed deeply and gracefully, showing the upmost thanks, "Arigatou gozaimasu." Her hands were clasped together and placed on her thighs. She leant back up, seemingly patient with her hands clasped like so.

"Come," the boy ordered, dragging Zabuza's body, one of his arms around the boy's neck. The girl turned to the team, her long, loose hair moving from the force of her movements. She stared for a second, before jumping away so quickly they only saw a quick glance of a blurry image of her body. She transported back to the boy, and when she landed on the branch, she made a thump. The boy started to jump away, and the girl turned only her head to them as far as she was capable.

"Sayonara…" she whispered, leaping off into the forest in pursuit of her fellow hunter nin.

Naruto started yelled in frustration, and punched the ground. He was angry that that kid had beaten Zabuza so easily, and that girl… The air around her just exerted power!

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"Haku-teishu…" the pink haired hunter nin whispered as they jumped from tree to tree towards a tree house like structure.

"Nani, Sakura-chan?" Haku asked, keeping his hold on Zabuza tight.

"Was it… wise to do that? I'm predicting that they'll figure it out…" she answered, concentrating on her feet. "I believe that either the Jounin or the black haired boy protecting the bridge builder will figure it out first."

"It wouldn't matter, would it though?" Haku replied. "In the end, they'll still discover our true identities."

Sakura looked towards the ground and muttered softly, "Hai, Haku-teishu…" She looked forwards as she sensed the familiar aura of their home. They landed onto a porch like structure, and Haku took Zabuza inside. Sakura did not linger outside, and was quickly by her master's side. "Zabuza-san will most likely be out for a few days… but knowing him, he'll wake up the day after tomorrow, ne, Haku-teishu?" Sakura asked, wondering what her master thought of her analysis.

"Hai, Sakura-chan, you're right. Zabuza is too stubborn for his own good…" Haku replied, smiling at his savior's unconscious face. "Let's get started on healing him, shall we?" In response, he got the sounds of medical equipment being rustled around.

"Hai!" Sakura said, pulling out gauze and other various items.

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It had been a day, and Haku had run out of an herb. He called out for Sakura, and she quickly appeared by his side, ready for anything he sent at her. "Hai, Haku-teishu?"

Haku held up the last of the herb, "I need you to go and collect this, please. Here's the basket." He handed her the wicker basket, knowing she would not reject this—_any_—of his requests.

"I'll be back soon, Haku-teishu." Sakura declared, and disappeared from view, making Haku chuckle, muttering about her dramatic entrances and departures.

-

Sakura leapt from tree to tree, holding the wicker basket in her hand. Haku-sama needed the roots of a plant that grew nearby, and she would be able to retrieve them fairly quick. As she neared the opening, she saw that the boy from before was sleeping there. She crept over to him, and held her hand out to strangle him, but moved it to his shoulder. 'I can't…' she thought, as she shook his shoulder, waking him. Naruto stumbled into consciousness, and looked into Sakura's snow like orbs. He gasped, and Sakura leant back.

"I-it's you!" he claimed, pointing a finger at Sakura. "The hunter nin from before!"

Sakura played dumb, "Excuse me?" Naruto looked over the girl once more, and took into notice that she was wearing a yukata colored in shades of blue. Her hair was not in a bun, not did it have white clasps. Also, her voice sounded gentler. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura confessed, sounding incredibly believable.

"Oh, sorry, I must've been a little foggy…" Naruto sheepishly said, trying to impress the girl. Sakura shook her head, and smiled.

"No, it's quite all right," she ensured. Sakura smiled fondly and started to dislodge a plant from the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Naruto asked, watching her with confused azure eyes.

"I'm collecting herbs—would you like to help? It'll help me," Sakura informed, and extended her invitation. Naruto agreed heartily, slightly blushing. Sakura pointed out the correct herb, and the two started to pick their herbs. "So…" Sakura started, "why were you out here? It's dangerous to be sleeping out here."

"I was training!" Naruto answered, looking brightly at the pinkette.

"Oh?" Sakura asked, feigning surprise and confusion. "What for?"

"I'm a ninja!" Naruto responded happily, readjusting his hitae-ate unconsciously.

"Wow, really?" Sakura remarked, 'amazed'. "Why are you training?"

"I want to become the Hokage, the strongest ninja in the village!" Naruto responded, happy that the pretty girl was interested in his dream. "I have to train a lot to become that strong!" He looked downward, determination glowing in his eyes. Sakura smiled truthfully at his ambition.

"Do you…" Sakura started, looking dead into his eyes, "have someone you wish to protect?" Sakura demanded to be answered.

"Someone… to protect?" Naruto echoed.

"Yes, you get stronger if you have a good reason," Sakura cleared. Naruto thought about all his friends in Konoha, his team, the old man, and Iruka. He smiled and looked up to the girl.

"Yup!" Naruto exclaimed. "I have lots of people to protect!" Sakura looked downwards, and to Naruto, it seemed like she was either spacing out, or thinking about his words.

Sakura sat; legs folded in a traditional manner, and started at her hands, thinking. 'Haku-teishu…'

---Flashback---

'I remember when I first met him…'

_A young pinkette walked out from the underbrush, her worn kimono dirty and torn. She had cuts and bruises, and had blood caked on her clothing as well on her face and hair.__ Her snowy eyes were dull, slightly scanning the area she was in for a second. Sakura leant on a tree, __exhausted_

'I was near death, and couldn't remember anything… not even my own name.'

_The young girl panted, closing her eyes, trying to fight off the unwelcome weariness.__ Her kimono had been smudged by the dirt under her bottom, but she paid no heed. Her breathing was deep, and Sakura __t__r__i__ed__ calming her body._

'It was a total chance meeting.'

_"Mou, Zabuza-san always sends me out to gather herbs in this part of the forest," a young brunette whined softly, stepping into the same area Sakura rested, __carrying__ a small basket for herbs.__ He saw __Sakura, watching him with deflated eyes. He gasped at her appearance, and went to help, but remembered that Zabuza had said that sometimes ninja transformed into that for traps. "Who are you?" he asked, standing in a defensive position._

_"I don't know…" Sakura replied, breathing heavily. She seemed tired and worn beyond belief._

_"What?" the boy asked, "How do you not know who you are?"_

_Sakura sent an exasperated glance at the boy. "How would I know? I don't remember anything. __Not my name, not my age, not anything."_

'I had been annoyed and tired. He helped me in the end though…'

_The boy thought carefully, and slowly moved towards Sakura. Sakura made no move to repel hi__m when he was close, so__ the boy assessed her wounds.__ "Only slight scratches and bruises… Why so much blood?" he questioned, not knowing he would get an answer._

_"When I woke up I had it all over me. I only had scratches and bruises too, so I think it's not mine," Sakura answered bluntly. She glanced up tiredly to the boy. "Do you know who I am?"_

'He gave me a name…'

_The boy smiled slightly, "No, but I can give you a name."_

_"A… name…" she mirrored._

_"Your hair—it reminds me of the Sakura blossoms, so, I'll call you Sakura," the boy informed. "My name is Haku." Sakura looked up to the boy who gave her a name._

_"Haku…" she whispered as she fell, fainting. Haku gasped and dove to catch her._

_"I'll bring __y__ou to a safe place," Haku comforted, carrying the small girl in his arms._

_Sakura looked up to Haku__ weakly__. She knew that by doing this, he had undoubtedly saved her young life. He had even given her a na__me… "Arigatou… Haku-teishu…" The girl fell into the clutches of sleep._

'A home… and love. I might only be Haku-teishu's tool, but it is my own dream to protect him, and help his own goal to be accomplished…'

---End Flashback---

"Oi, oi…" Naruto waved a hand in Sakura's face. "You there?" Sakura snapped back into reality, and apologized for her absent mindedness.

"I'm afraid I got too far into thinking… Gomenasai," the girl apologized, picking up her full basket. Sensing another chakra signature closing in, Sakura decided to make a departure. "I'm afraid I have to go… I have enough. Arigatou for all of your help. Sayonara…" Sakura walked out of the area, but not before stopping. Knowing she shouldn't do this, she whispered, "Naruto-san," to scare him slightly, before walking again. Naruto sat in confusion, when had he told her his name? His was brought out of his thoughts by Sasuke.

"Oi, dobe, what are you doing out here?" Sasuke asked, making his appearance. Naruto shook his fist at Sasuke and yelled his disagreement about his 'nickname'. Sasuke grunted and started to leave, with Naruto angrily trudging after him. He, although was caught up in his own thoughts.

'Who was she? She was very pretty…' He blushed a little. 'She was prettier than any girl in Konoha!' He shook off his blush, and caught up to Sasuke.

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"Haku-teishu," Sakura called from the door, announcing her arrival. "I have the herbs you requested."

"Arigatou Sakura-chan!" Haku called from the kitchen. "Help me prepare the herbs, please?" Before you could blink, Sakura was by Haku's side, basket of herbs ready. "All right, we have maybe… 15 minutes to mix the herbs and another 15 until Zabuza awakes… Let's get working!" Haku informed, starting to clean the plants. Sakura followed his example and started to chop some of the leaves. The two worked to the constant sound of a faucet and the knife hitting the cutting board. They had finished in 7 minutes, rewarded with a paste like concoction. "Now, all we have to do is apply in onto his wounds so they close up…" Haku muttered the rest to himself, well knowing Sakura knew what else to do. She followed him through the hallway and into Zabuza's room, carrying the small bowl of paste. They sat next to each other and proceeded to apply the paste to Zabuza's wounds from the fight with Kakashi. As they cleaned up their work, Zabuza awoke.

"Uhn…" Zabuza sounded. "Geez, Haku, you're as ruthless as ever." Haku turned to his savior.

"Only when I need to be, Zabuza."

"How can you be so ruthless yet pure?" Zabuza laughed roughly. He looked to Haku's side, and saw Sakura. 'She always seems to be near him. Even when he's sleeping, I've seen her watch him. I don't even know when she goes to sleep…' A man coughing got their attention. They turned to see a short tubby man in a business suit with two samurai bodyguards.

"I see you've failed Zabuza… I don't want it to happen again!" Gato went to hit Zabuza, but Haku caught his wrist in a vice grip.

"Don't you touch him!" Haku hissed out. Gato flinched and one samurai went to slash Haku. Haku saw the blade and widened his eyes.

"Don't you dare touch _him_!" was followed by the sound of metal piercing flesh. Sakura was in front of Haku, the sword dangerously close to slicing her hand off. Blood had splattered onto Haku and Zabuza, and it cascaded down Sakura's arm, staining her folded sleeves. Her glace pierced Gato's and his men's minds, making them shiver as the temperature decreased alarmingly. "Leave before I decide to purge you from life," Sakura warned, not even grunting when the samurai dislodged his sword and walked backwards. Gato made a sound.

"Don't let it happen again Zabuza," and he walked out with his bodyguards.

"Sakura-chan!" Haku yelled, taking her hand into his. Zabuza watched from the bed as the boy fussed over the majority of the cut and the amount of blood lost. He caught sight of the horrible gash in her hand that was deep enough to show bone. How did she not make a sound?

"Haku-teishu, please, it doesn't matter," Sakura said calmly, taking her hand back and inspecting it, turning it around to survey damage. She flexed some of her fingers, and made not a sound of pain or displeasure. She dragged a thumb over it, and before the males' eyes, the cut disappeared. "See?" she asked, shoving her palm into their faces to show she was fine. A second later, she excused herself to change into a new kimono, her long pink hair flowing behind her as she turned and darted out of the door.

"She seemed a little fidgety, Zabuza…" Haku said, looking at his mentor and savior.

"I think that it's just that she was a little distraught about you fussing over her," Zabuza answered, putting his two cents in with a laugh. "You know she looks up to you like a god or something higher." Haku mock glared him, and stared out the door Sakura left through.

'Why would she be uncomfortable with me worrying?' Haku thought, deep in his mind. He was alerted of Sakura's entrance when the door shut, and soft footfalls sounded. Sakura was in a new kimono, since bloodstains were nearly impossible to destroy. Her hair was redone in the style exactly similar to his.

"Haku," Zabuza called. "Tomorrow we're giving Kakashi a little surprise." Haku nodded, and Sakura emotionlessly watched the interaction. Zabuza turned to Sakura, "I want you to help too."

Knowing her teishu's wishes, Sakura bowed slightly and muttered, "Hai." She looked back up, her moon eyes dull. Inside though, she was anticipating the battle coming up soon. Naruto had also struck her as something, and she sensed a strange familiarity with him. She hoped to discover why the following day. "Zabuza," Sakura said pointedly, "we must firstly think up of a plan… Just showing up wouldn't be as… dramatic as say… setting up a cold and deadly atmosphere…" She smiled wickedly, letting an unknown emotion flicker throughout her eyes, and started to plan—something she did best. Haku and Zabuza watched in fascination as Sakura sat in a chair not far away from Haku, and crossed her legs with an out of place grace. "We could knock out the workers and scatter them. That way, the feeling of dread would intensify—seeing dead or unconscious people do have some… _interesting_ affects."

Zabuza listened in, smirking from underneath his mask. Haku had one odd follower…

-

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Kakashi, Sai, Sasuke, and Tazuna surveyed the bridge in dread. The workers were all strewn across various places.

"Sasuke, Sai! Guard Tazuna!" Kakashi ordered, getting prepared. Zabuza's laugh resonated throughout the area.

"Very sharp Kakashi," Zabuza complimented, stepping out from the small fog. Behind him, Sakura and Haku followed, both had their identical masks on, taking proud places beside the wandering nin.

"I knew they were with Zabuza all along," Sasuke uttered, sending a glance to the two hunters. Zabuza smirked and sent a clone towards them. Sasuke started to shake. The clone laughed heartily.

"Look, he's so scared he's shaking!" it rumbled. Sasuke smirked, and sliced the clone so quickly no one could see him.

"I'm not scared… I'm shaking… with excitement!" Sasuke announced, a proud countenance spread across his face.

"Oh ho, it seems he matches your speed Haku," Zabuza remarked, looking down at the masked brunette. "You can deal with him. Sakura, stay by Haku…" Zabuza ordered, internally knowing that she would be by Haku's side even if he had told her not to. Sai nodded to Sasuke and Sasuke moved over towards the hunters.

"Stay behind me Tazuna," Sai ordered, taking out a kunai. Tazuna gulped and nodded. Sai watched as Zabuza got into a brawl and Sasuke and Haku started attacking each other. Their kicks and jabs were too fast for the naked eye, and Sai observed that Haku specialized in ice, for he was using ice projectiles along with senbon rather and kunai and shuriken, like Sasuke. He dragged his eyes away to Sakura, who idly stood there watching like he. This time he fully examined her.

Sakura seemed to be only a centimeter or so higher than Sasuke, and wore a clingy kimono. The bottom of the kimono only reached to her mid-thigh, and he wondered how she was not freezing, But, then again, 'Zabuza's shirtless,' he commented in him mind. He started from her head down. She had vibrant pink hair, and moon like eyes. As he noted before, she wore a kimono. It was darker in colors, ranging with hues of black, navy, gray, sky blue, and white. If he remembered correctly, she had the kanji 雪 for 'snow' on her back in white. Her obi was navy with an odd pattern as if it was fading into white, or, if you turned it vertically, it would resemble snowfall. He noticed that now, she had a wakizashi on each exposed thigh. They were both black, one's sheath with designs of white and pink snow, while the other had a blood pattern. He was sure she had more weapons hidden in her sleeves. Her feet had the same sandals as Haku, only black. 'She really likes black,' he noted. Upon closer perception, he saw that the wakizashis had a kanji imprinted on the base. The blood designed one had 死 for 'death', and the snow design had 生命 for 'life'. If he had paid more attention to her neck, he would've seen a necklace with an upside down crescent moon pendant with the kanji 月 on it for 'moon' in a jewel held in place by the ends of the moon.

'The red on the mask clashes horribly with her outfit,' Sai remarked in his mind, not noticing that all his detailing had cost him the sight of Sasuke being entrapped by Haku with ice mirrors.

"I'm afraid to say it had to come to this," Haku said, melting into a mirror. "I apologize."

"Keep your apologies to yourself!" Sasuke said, watching Haku with careful eyes.

"This is my kekkai genkai and curse," Haku informed. "I have the ability to create these mirrors…" he said, still in a mirror, holding up a senbon. Sakura watched faithfully, waiting to be able to help her teishu. She knew that Haku liked his battles undisturbed, so she kept back, waiting for the opportune time. She examined the Uchiha boy's movements and speed, and was slightly surprised when he used the Sharingan to help him. She noted only one tomoe. Not many, but still could be a threat. Sasuke's speed had increased, and the number of guarded senbon and hits were rising.

'Still, Haku-teishu knows what he's doing…' Sakura thought, still stationary. Sasuke now had multiple senbon in his body from Haku, who had stepped up. 'He's breathing heavily, a good sign for Haku-teishu… But he only hit the boy in non-lethal places…' sakura noted, hard and calculating. 'Haku-teishu wins either way. The Uchiha will either die from blood loss, or Haku-teishu will kill him.' She was distracted from her teishu's fight when smoke bombs had exploded, revealing Naruto, dubbed by Kakashi as, 'Konoha's knuckle headed ninja.'

"Naruto is here to save the day!" the blonde exclaimed, standing in an outrageous pose. He found Sasuke beat up, and decided to help the poor kid out. Sasuke saw Naruto poof in.

'Good, now he can break one of the mirrors from outside…'

"Hi Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, crouching next to his bleeding teammate.

"GAH! NARUTO-DOBE!" Sasuke called, angry. "You have to be OUTSIDE for my plan to work!" Naruto rubbed his head and apologized. Sasuke explained to the blonde the plan to escape. "You need to get out and break one of those mirrors!" Sasuke hissed, getting another kunai out. Naruto nodded, and tried to get out, but was stopped by Haku and his senbon.

"Once you're in, you can't get out," Haku declared, his arm still in a throwing position. Naruto smirked and used Kage Bunshin, trying to distract the hunter. Haku destroyed them, and after a few failed attempts, Naruto was panting. Sasuke had been watching, his Sharingan adapting to the boy's speed. Before Naruto was hit, Sasuke ran in front of him and defended his teammate. Before Haku could throw another projectile, Sasuke kicked him. Haku dodged, and Sasuke continued to barrage Haku with kicks. One kick was successful, and Haku's mask was broken. Sakura gasped in the background.

'Haku-teishu! He… he... hit you!' Sakura thought, struggling to keep out of his battle. 'Haku-teishu wouldn't want his battle interfered!' Sakura shifted to relieve the mental stress building up from not obeying rules she had made mentally. 'Even though I vowed to always protect him, I must honor his wishes!'

'Urg, he hit me! The boy is faster than I thought…' Haku thought, preparing to send another barrage of senbon. 'I'll have to use a weak spot… That's it!' Haku inwardly smirked. 'His weakness is the blonde! He's always protecting him!' Haku threw the senbon at Naruto, and Sasuke guarded the blonde. Naruto got up, only to be pelted by senbon shortly after sending a wave of kage bunshin.

"Arg!" Naruto cried, falling to the floor. Sasuke glared at Haku. He realized Haku was targeting Naruto because the blonde couldn't protect himself, so Sasuke had to do it for him. Sasuke made a sound of displeasure, readying himself. Haku frowned behind his mask, and threw senbon at Sasuke. Sasuke blocked, but widened his eyes and gasped as more senbon was thrown towards Naruto. Said blonde closed his eyes, readying for his death. He opened his eyes when he heard a gasp of pain. "Sasuke!" he called out, seeing his friend looming over him with a trail of blood dripping from his lip.

"Heh, dobe…" Sasuke whispered out, before falling to the ground in a bloody heap. Naruto watched horrified as his best friend's body fell to the floor, multiple senbon meant for _him_ in his back. Naruto grew angry, so angry he was about to burst. Red chakra started to encase him, his cheek marks growing more defined, and his eyes turning red and pupils slitting. Naruto sent a piercing glare at Haku, stunning the poor boy.

'What is that chakra?!' Haku pondered, bracing himself as Naruto stood. Naruto growled and charged at Haku's mirror, breaking it, sending the boy out and flying out. Haku landed on his feet though, just in time to see Naruto running after him. Sakura gasped angrily, and phased in front of her teishu.

"You will **not** hurt him!" she declared angrily, icy tone directed to the demonic blonde. Naruto had his hand grabbing her mask, and he squeezed it, making it break. He watched as the mask fell into tiny pieces, revealing the girl from the day before. He gasped.

"You're-you're that girl from yesterday!" he realized, gaining back some humanity. Sakura had a defiant and angry glare on her face, her mouth set into a snarl. Her snowy eyes were now ice, glaring at him coldly.

"You are not allowed to hurt Haku-teishu," she said frozenly, just as she had countless times before. Her face was bleeding from cuts the mask had caused. "I protect him with my very life, to ensure his dream is accomplished. I shall not die until it is accomplished. If I do die, I will stay by his side as a specter, guarding him until his own death," Sakura declared her own oath. Haku was shocked, for he had never known that Sakura's dedication went so deep. He panted from exhaustion; the mirrors took a lot of chakra. "He saved my life," Sakura explained. "gave me a name, a home, and love. It is my duty to guard his existence until the very end!" Naruto and Haku listened to the girl recite more of her oath, a fierce countenance set upon her face. Haku glanced towards Zabuza and Kakashi, and glared.

"I am not ready to die yet," Haku said, transporting to the jounin. Sakura gasped in horror as Kakashi's chidori ripped through Haku's body. Haku had guarded Zabuza form the fatal blow, and muttered his last words. "I guess I'm just a blunt tool now, Zabuza..." he coughed, and fell to the ground.

"HAKU-TEISHU!" Sakura yelled, darting to her master and the two jounin. Naruto watched sadly as the melancholy girl reached her precious person. Sakura collapsed down, over Haku's pale body. The hole in his stomach was disgusting, and Sakura started to cry. "H-Haku-t-teishuu…" she softly whined, her face contorted into sadness. Haku-teishu was dead. Her master was dead. Her home was dead.

Her reason was dead.

Sakura hiccupped as she glanced towards Zabuza who was held by dog summons, and then to Kakashi, who looked horrified. Sakura hardened into a feral glare, still hunched over her master's body. "You killed him," she muttered hoarsely, her bangs hiding her face, only showing her lips. "You _killed _him," she muttered once more, this time filled with more anger. This time though, she screamed, "**YOU KILLED HIM**!" A white chakra surrounded her body in a fashion similar to Naruto's. She slowly raised, her eyes closed and her face contorted into hatred. "I'll kill you," she said, her ice having a double voice effect, the other voice was deep and matured, sending chills through everyone's body. She stood straight, and opened her slit icy orbs to Kakashi, channeling all of her pain through them. "I'll kill you!" she yelled, going to attack him. Sakura now had bent lines under her eyes that were black, and her canines grew to an alarmingly sharp and large size. Her nails were now claws, and her body radiated demonic energy. In her demonic form, she halted before she could reach Kakashi, and turned to Zabuza, anger clear on her usually stoic face. "Why do you don't cry?!" she yelled at him, grabbing onto his arms. Being shorter than him, he looked down into the eyes of a demon. "Cry for him! He cared for you so much! You were Haku-teishu's world!" she shook him angrily, "Are you that heartless that you don't care that he _died for __**you**_?!" She stopped her shaking and yelling as she smelt tears.

"Are you shocked? Even I can cry. Haku was the only thing dear to me," Zabuza's eyes leaked a substance forbidden by ninja. "I'm not that heartless to not care for his death."

"Not dead yet Zabuza?" a cocky voice came from behind them. Gato stood there with over a hundred samurai. "You know, I never even meant to pay you," Gato sneered at Haku's dead corpse. "Seems the gaki's finally dead, huh?" Sakura's anger returned full force, and she pulsed chakra.

"Don't—" Zabuza held one of his arms out.

"Give me a kunai kid," he ordered, his eyes slightly red. "I'll do this. It's what I can do for Haku." Sakura gave him a kunai, but without Haku, she had no one to give her a clear order. She and Zabuza charged into the crowd. Zabuza went for Gato, while Sakura merely relieved her stress. Zabuza impaled Gato and whispered his final words. "I'll see you in hell. Haku won't be going where we are." And collapsed to the side, dead from blood loss, along with Gato. Meanwhile, Sakura slaughtered multiple men, killing a fourth of the army. The others ran away, but were soon cornered by the townspeople at the end of the bridge. Sakura walked towards Haku, her demonic façade still intact.

She angrily leant over him and whispered some undistinguishable words, and encased Haku's body with the chakra. The hole in his stomach disappeared, and the color in his skin returned. Sakura swayed with exhaustion, and the demonic traits receded. She collapsed onto Haku's stomach, causing Haku to rouse from his 'slumber.' Weak, he only saw Sakura, Kakashi, and the Gato's dead forces before falling back into unconsciousness. The rest of the mob Gato had brought were being taken down by the villagers with Inari leading them. Kakashi wet and handed Sasuke to Tazuna, and through the transaction Sasuke woke up from his unconscious state, only to see Naruto's relieved face, and fall back into darkness. When the villagers had killed and or caught the samurai, Kakashi went and picked up Haku and threw him over his shoulder. He picked up Sakura and carried her bridal style.

"Come on team, our job is done," Kakashi ordered, starting to leave. Naruto looked unsurely to Sai, who just walked forward. Naruto wondered about Sakura's demonic state, and her devotion to Haku. He continued after them, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. At least Sasuke was alive! The complete team walked back to Tsunami's house to regenerate, and let the young hunters rest.

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Gargh, longest I've written, I'm sure. Well, I'll put my small Japanese dictionary right down here for you guys!

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Kiri Gakure no Jutsu—a jutsu used by Zabuza to summon mist; mist village technique

Tomoe—The comma marking in the Sharingan

Hitae-ate—the headband adorning the village's symbol; the headwear used by ninja to symbolize which village the hail from

Arigatou gozaimasu—thank you very much

-teishu—master

Mou—an annoyed sound, like 'hey!' or, 'humph!'

Arigatou—thank you

Oi—hey

Gomenasai—sorry

Sayonara—good bye

Dobe—dead last

Hai—yes

Wakizashi—a sword commonly used as an accompanying sword to a katana

Kage Bunshin—a forbidden jutsu used by Naruto to create solid clones that can cause and take damage more than a regular bunshin; shadow clone

Bunshin—a ninja technique used to create a pass through clone

Chidori—a lightning jutsu used by Kakashi; thousand birds

Gaki—brat

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Tell me if I have any mistakes! I double checked! Please review, I want to hear your opinions! Any advice is greatly appreciated also! I also hope you like the length—I regularly don't write this much, but I'll try keeping it long!

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Preview

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So many questions must be answered! The Konoha ninja are wondering who the hunter nin are. What will they do? What were those demonic chakras? Why did Sakura have amnesia?

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Haku and Sakura wake to find team 7 questioning their identities. After explaining, Haku is devastated by Zabuza's passing. The Konoha ninja extend an invitation to their village. Will the two hunter nin accept?

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Look out for the next chapter for answers! Well, _some_ answers.


	2. Chapter 2

Full Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and one Hunter Nin, but two Hunter Nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink…

Disclaimer: No own.

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Wow! Thank you guys for the reviews! And now—my replies!

sara1965—Here is the update! Merry Christmas! And, uh, ignore that teishu means husband… xD

M-Mello—Aw darn! How'd ya know? Well, I'm not quite sure about the sis/bro… Only time will tell…

Emogurl1234—YOSH! Here is the ultimate update of update-iness! I hope you like it!

My goddamned best friend won't REVIEW! She says she '_reviews verbally_!!' GARG! I did this to spite her! –holier than thou look- HA ERIN! TAKE THIS!!!

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Well, I hope you liked the first chapter! I was so happy that I got three reviews in a day! (Yes, I'm easily pleased. xD Shame me.) I do so hope you enjoy this one! I tried my hardest to get it shipped out fast!

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Alright, correct dialogue is GONE! For now. I can finally use my OWN SENTENCES! YESS!! –party- Enjoy reading my own lines! –happyhappyjoyjoy-

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Also, the amount of –'s shows how much time passed. So, if there is one of theme, a short amount passed. If there's three or four, a good amount has passed.

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Warnings: Angsty material and suicidal attempts at beginning. Perverted!Neji material near end. Cursing.

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Page count: 17

Word count: 7095

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Further warning that is not classified as an actual warning (Whoa, I confused myself!), I am listening to music, and what I type is effected by that. So, if have great perception, maybe you can figure out what music I was listening too! Good luck with surviving the chapter with your sanity intact and functional!

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**Frost**

**Chapter ****2**

**Identities**

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Sakura stirred from her sleeping state. She was extremely reluctant to open her eyes, she felt like _shit_. It wasn't dramatized either. Her entire body was sore, and she felt like all her energy was sucked out—painfully. Her mind was fogged, and her thoughts were erratic. Slowly, the events of yesterday seeped into her mind. Although, she only remembered the event up to Haku dying—it was just lack from then on. She did remember feeling unadulterated hatred before she blacked out. But, it finally came to her, and like a blanket had been raised from her mind, her consciousness was back in a record time, all good and alert. She rose fluently from her place on the bed, intent on finding Haku.

'Please,' she thought, praying with all her will, 'let Haku-teishu be alive!' She thrust herself off the bed, and ran towards a door, slamming it open. Her eyes scanned the hallway, and heard the sounds of merry conversation from down the hall. Knowing better than to just leap into enemy vicinity, she masked her chakra and slid against the wall. Peering into the room from a crack in the door, she immediately remembered the Konoha men from yesterday. She glared greatly at the man with silver hair, attracting his attention. She cursed internally as she saw him wave at her, alerting the others of her existence behind the door. Being polite as Haku told her, she slid the door open with an indifferent countenance. It was broken when she saw her teishu sitting at the table, popping a rice ball into his mouth. "Haku-teishu!" Sakura called, running into the room—and, quite frankly—forgetting about stealth and her hatred of the jounin. She tackled into him, muttering about how happy she was. Sakura refused to let her tears through, and stubbornly squeezed her eyes tightly together.

"Sakura-chan!" Haku said, widening his brown orbs. The girl he had rescued was clinging onto his clothing like she had seen him _die _or something. He was shocked though, he had never seen her with such little clothing on. Sakura only had on the very short white dress that went under the kimono she wore on. Of course, her underwear classified shorts were there, but still. On the back of the white dress was the kanji for 'eclipse,' 食. On the front of the dress at the top of the middle of her newborn breasts was a kanji for 'ice,' 氷. "You're up, I see," Haku commented, finally regaining his personal space. Sakura had reverted into her emotionless state, and answered in a 'hai.'

"Now, I hate to interrupt this little reunion," Kakashi said, earning a hateful glare from the pink haired hunter, "but we would like to know who you are." Sakura glanced over to Haku. Haku saw the look, and understood the message perfectly.

_'I am NOT speaking to them.'_ It was rare she did something like this, but Haku honored her wishes the very few times she asked.

"All right, my name is Haku, and the pinkette is Sakura," Haku informed. "As you know, we were trained as hunter nin."

"Last names?" Tazuna asked, taking a swig from his sake flask.

"None," Haku replied. "Sakura-chan does not remember hers, and I refuse to ever use mine. In fact, I haven't used it in so long I've forgotten it!" Haku laughed. "But that's beside the point. We were also trained by Zabuza, and we healed and helped him… By the way, where is he?" Haku asked, looking around.

Kakashi stared at the boy with sadness in his eye. "I'm afraid Zabuza has… died…" Haku didn't hear anything after the word 'died.' He felt something crack, like glass. He stood up noisily, and briskly walked out. Sakura angrily looked at Kakashi, the man who had firstly started Zabuza's death, secondly killed Haku, and thirdly broke Haku into pieces.

"Why did you tell him that!?" she angrily inquired, standing up. "Haku-teishu devoted his_ life_ to Zabuza!" Sakura ran out after her master, pushing the door open rashly. Her footfalls became quieter as she ran down the hallway and onto the pier that overlooked the water. She slowed down into a creep as she neared the door. Sakura peered out, and stared in melancholy as her teishu hunched over and stared into the water. She gasped when she saw him lean over to jump. Sakura forgot about spying quietly and barged in, hugging Haku from the back, clutching the back of his clothing, and frighteningly, yet angrily craned her neck at an odd angle to look at Haku. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly open. "What are you doing!" she demanded to know exasperatedly, staring at him with wide, accusing eyes.

"Zabuza is dead!" Haku cried out, trying to shake the pink haired hunter from his back. "My precious person is dead! I don't have a reason to live! I have nothing to devote myself to!" He tried lurching himself once more. Sakura watched her teishu try to free himself of her grasp, and as she comprehended his words, something inside snapped.

"What about me!?"

Haku stopped his flinging movements, and looked down into Sakura's face. She had an indescribable look upon her face. It consisted of worry, shock, anger, and a small amount of insanity.

"Am I not important?!" Sakura asked, moving her grip onto the front of his clothing. "Do you not care about me!?" Sakura accused, starting to shake him, rocking his body back and forth while she also moved from the strength of her shaking. "I was always there for you! You rescued me! You're **my reason**!** My special ****person**! If you kill yourself, what will I do!?" Sakura had leaked a few tears. Her teeth were grit from keeping her anger out.

"S-Sakura-chan…" Haku whispered, taking in the appearance of his follower. Did he truly have this affect on her? Was her devotion to him like his to Zabuza? "I-I do care about you!"

"USODA!" Sakura interrupted him. "If you do, then why are trying to commit suicide!?"

"I was just overwhelmed!" Haku yelled at her. Sakura was immediately silenced—Haku had only yelled at her once before, when she had been fighting with Zabuza. "He was the person that saved me, and you know that! Do you know what it would feel like to you if I died?"

Sakura wanted to scream out, 'yes, yes I do! You died yesterday!' She couldn't muster up enough will to do it though, and leaned into Haku's form, still grabbing his clothes. "No… I wouldn't…" 'Yes I do!' "It's just that I care for you so much—if you died I would follow you into the afterlife! But, there is so much you still have to do! You have to find someone to love," 'Even though I already do with all my heart!' "Have children! Grow old and watch all your grandchildren and spoil them!" Sakura was near tears. "I don't want my master throwing away his life! Zabuza died like a shinobi could, and he completed his goal! Think—would Zabuza like it if he saw you doing this?!"

Haku widened his eyes, and thought about what Sakura had informed him of. 'Zabuza… wouldn't like it if I did this…' "No… he wouldn't…" Haku answered staring into the milky depths of Sakura's eyes. They always seemed to comfort him. He looked down, ashamed for his actions. "I'm sorry…"

"Iie." Sakura released her teishu, and looked down. "There is nothing to apologize for. I am simply a servant, helping her master." Sakura slunk away, back to the door. "Come on, we have more explaining to do." She disappeared into the hallway. Haku stared at the doorway, and before leaving his place, looked into the horizon.

'What will happen,' he thought before leaving the small pier. He followed Sakura's path back into the dining room, where he saw Sakura sitting formally drinking a cup of tea. Her emotionless facade is back, he mused sullenly, seeing his pink haired partner/follower eye him with the white orbs he had previously been comforted by. "I'm sorry for the outburst," Haku apologized, sitting back down next to Sakura on her left. Naruto had taken her right.

"It's okay, we understand," Kakashi waved off Haku's apologies. "You wouldn't mind if we asked some questions?"

"No, I think it is fine, seeing that we tried to kill your students," Haku replied, not minding at all.

"Alright, question one: are you two related?" Kakashi asked. Haku looked towards Sakura, who had the previous look on her face, but accompanied with something else.

'I just stopped you from committing suicide. You have no validity to reject my rejection of talking to them.'

Haku sweatdropped and decided he would answer the questions. "No, we are not."

"Are you related to Zabuza?"

Haku stiffly replied negative.

"Were you two born in Wave?"

"For me, yes, for Sakura-chan, I don't know."

"Uh…" Kakashi tried thinking of another question, but Naruto interrupted.

"Why does Sakura-chan call you teishu?" Naruto asked. Everyone except the hunters stilled and thought at once, 'Teishu… as in husband?'

"Well," Haku started, "I rescued Sakura-chan from death in the forest. She couldn't remember anything, not even her name. She started calling me teishu afterwards." Haku pondered why they went stiff, and then he realized the other meaning for teishu. "N-n-no! We are certainly NOT married…" There were a few collective sighs.

"Hm… One last question. What are you going to do now?" Kakashi pondered, voicing his thoughts.

"I-I don't know…" Haku stuttered, thinking about what they were going to do. "We're not exactly welcome here in Wave, so we might just travel."

"How about you come with us!" Naruto suggested, jumping up, nearly spilling his tea.

Kakashi nodded, his eyes smiling. "Yes, that's a good idea!" Naruto sat down in pride. "How about you come with us to Konoha?" Haku nodded and looked towards Sakura who seemed null about the decision, but knowing her for so long, he could see that she was dying in sense.

"Is there something wrong Sakura-chan?" Haku asked, concerned about her internal dilemma.

"…Do we have to go somewhere that warm? Why not… Cloud or Snow…" she mumbled, crossing her arms and adorning a rather aggravated look. She muttered under her breath, "You know I hate warm places…" Haku laughed and patted Sakura on the head.

"But I think it would be a nice change…" he offered, releasing her head. Sakura mentally scoffed, knowing he was using her own ultimate devotion for him against her.

"….Fine," she muttered, turning away and eating a rice ball. Sai and Sasuke watched her, still not comfortable around her from yesterday. It seemed she couldn't remember the events subsequent to Haku's death.

"That settles it!" Kakashi announced, clapping, his lone eye smiling. "You're coming with us! Thank you Tsunami-san for everything!"

"No, thank you!" Tsunami said, smiling. "You're always welcome here!"

"You're leaving?" Inari sniffled, about to cry. Naruto started to cry too, and Tazuna sweatdropped.

"We're truly grateful for what you did," Tazuna remarked. Kakashi nodded and ordered his team to get packed.

"Haku, Sakura, go and collect your things." He ordered, surprised when they both nodded obediently and disappeared, not even leaving leaves. "Impressive little children," he mused. The non shinobi in the room nodded.

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"Haku-teishu," Sakura said, standing beside Haku before the door of their—and Zabuza's—home. "Are you okay with this?" Her emotionless countenance was a forgotten façade as she stared at the door.

"Hai," Haku responded, opening the door. Inside he was cracked, and just going through the tree house would scar him further. Sakura looked at him knowingly, and muttered something about coming to her if he needed it. She walked inside the cold home, leaving Haku. Haku felt like it was warmer, and realized that Sakura's aura was chilling. Not freezing, but a gentle breeze. 'Odd,' he thought.

Sakura walked through the room, gathering some of her precious items. All of her weapons were at Tsunami's home. Wandering about, she gently held her pendant, searching for anything she needed. Sakura opened her closet and packed some of her clothing and essentials, since she was sure that Konoha did not have the same wear Wave did. Her hand grazed a photo of her, Haku, and Zabuza. Haku had insisted on taking it, 'for memories when this all ended.' Yes, she knew that the three of them all realized that that peace would not last forever. They were right, Sakura mused and she took two chopsticks and inserted them into her bun like Haku's. She had forgotten to yesterday. Deeming her room inspected and cleaned out, Sakura made her way down the hall with a pack over her shoulder. She knew Haku would take some time to calm himself, so she wandered around for the last time. Sakura entered Zabuza's room, slightly sad. She hadn't had the best of relationships with the man, but she still had a small connection. She glanced around slightly and spotted the same framed picture she had. She smiled fondly as the memories came back.

Zabuza did not want the picture, and had turned down Haku's request to take one. Haku had been saddened, thus making Sakura forced the wanderer to frame it and keep it in his room.

'He didn't get rid of it,' she mused, smiling. The man was rough on the outside, but he was a great person on the inside. The room was rather plain—Zabuza liked it that way. Sakura went over to the desk and snatched the photo, hiding it in her sleeves. Touching the bed for the last time, Sakura waded out of the room and into the hallway.

"Sakura-chan, I'm ready," Haku informed, poking his head out of his doorway. Sakura spun around and ended her turn nodding, and turned once again to head for the door. Haku came out of the door fully, carrying a bag with him. The two exited their home. As the two casted a sad look, they jumped away. Haku, cursing that he wasn't as good with timing as Sakura, was unable to jump backwards to watch their bungalow grow smaller. As Sakura jumped, she realized Haku had never gone into Zabuza's room.

'Makes sense,' she mused, 'that Haku-teishu would choose to avoid there. He doesn't need to be reminded of Zabuza.' Staring at the retreating picture of their home, she had an undefined emotion in her eyes. Her hair was flying in front of her at the speed they were going at, whipping into her eyes now and then. Closing her eyes slowly as if trying to remember this scene, she turned around. Confidently, she moved faster, leaving Haku a branch away, so he didn't see the look in her eyes. She felt something had been taken from her, like a weight. 'I guess this is a new chance…' she thought, her eyes smiling slightly. Sakura turned around to look at her teishu. "Come on teishu," Sakura said with a faint happiness in her words, "you're getting slower!" She waved a hand towards herself to symbolize 'hurry the hell up or I'll leave you.' Haku smiled and sped up, and eyed the girl beside him. She had turned the right way once again, this time with a small smile placed upon her lips. The two jumped in rhythm all the way, paying no heed to the foliage whizzing past. Haku smiled,

'I hope things get better.'

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Sakura and Haku landed on the porch. Haku walked using the door, but Sakura didn't bother and phased in, scaring the shit out of the Tsunami and Tazuna.

"Wh-whoa!" Tsunami held her heart, clutching the counter top. "D-Don't do that!" Haku glanced to Sakura, and to everyone's surprise, Sakura bowed and apologized.

"Gomenasai, Tsunami-san. It was rude of me to appear out of thin air." She straightened back out, and briskly walked up and into the room she occupied the night before. She went through her things, and folded them nicely together. Locking the door, she undressed herself. Not that there was much to take off. Only her white under dress, shorts, underwear and bra. Yes, she was slightly larger than regular girls, but under all of her kimono's layers 'they' was concealed. Not that she cared, no, not in the least. Her only male companies were Haku-teishu, Zabuza, and the dead men she was sent to assassinate. Shoving the thoughts away she clothed herself. First were her personals. Next came her too-short-to-be-classified-as-shorts shorts. After that was another wakizashi that was colored solid black strapped onto her left upper arm. The hilt had 毒霜 for, 'poison frost.' After that she slipped on her white under dress. After fixing the left arm that had been bunched by the wakizashi, Sakura slipped on her kimono. After smoothing it out, Sakura expertly tied the obi around her waist. Tying the back into a small butterfly bow, she tightened it so it was like a second skin, but not tight enough to constrict her breathing. After making sure it was neat in the mirror, Sakura started to slip in a numerous amount of senbon and other poisoned weapons with practiced ease. Arranging them so that they would not poke her (God thank her wonderful skills, for if she was pricked she would be dead in a matter of minutes.), Sakura twisted herself. Once she was satisfied, she sat down and attached the two wakizashis onto her thighs. Slipping on her sandals and knee socks, she sighed. Glancing into the mirror once more, she saw the hunter she had always known to be, not the other pinkette who only wore the white under dress. She fondly stroked the smooth gem of her pendant. Looking into it, she was struck with thoughts.

Was she the hunter?

Or the white under dress clothed girl?

Or perhaps she was something other than that?

Shaking her head, she stood and headed for the door. Identity crisis was for later; now she had to travel with Haku and the Konoha team. Walking calmly downstairs, the pink haired hunter was greeted by the sight of Haku and Team 7 in a conversation while Inari sniffled and Tazuna drank while Tsunami was cleaning dishes from the morning. She smiled softly at Haku as he laughed at something Naruto said. She glanced to the side in envy, something she did rarely. It was true; she was envious of Haku's people skills. Unlike her, he could communicate well, while she was a hopeless case. She was trained for murdering her enemies, not converse with them. Shaking away the envious feelings, she walked in.

"Oh, Sakura-chan!" Haku greeted. "I got them to introduce themselves!" Sakura sat next to her teishu, and made a committal grunt. Haku turned to Team 7, and notified for them to start.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi," Kakashi informed, and pointed to himself. Pointing to his students, he rattled off their names, "Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Sai."

"What about Sai's last name?" Haku asked, looking at the painter.

"He doesn't have one," Sasuke informed. Haku nodded, looking at the impassive Sai.

'He and Sakura-chan would make great friends,' Haku realized, seeing that the painter was emotionless. Sakura passed her eyes over each ninja, evaluating them. Immediately she recognized Naruto, and looked at him the longest. She liked him the most right now; Kakashi being the least. Turning to Haku she nodded, showing she was ready for their trip to Konoha. "We're ready to go Kakashi-san," Haku informed. He turned to Tsunami, "Arigatou for letting us two stay—we appreciate it, ne, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura glanced to the woman and stood. She once again bowed, "Arigatou, Tsunami-san. I am thankful that you would feed and house us even though we put you through all that stress." Tsunami was touched that one of the hunters who accompanied Zabuza thanked her so… nobly! She felt very happy, and welcomed the pinkette. Sakura turned to Kakashi, "I am ready to go."

Kakashi nodded dumbly as Sakura stared him down emotionless with an, 'holier than thou,' expression plastered upon her face. "Team, we're heading out!" Team 7 and the non shinobi walked the short path to the bridge.

"Thank you for everything!" Tsunami and Tazuna called out. Inari was crying with Naruto. As the ninja left into the misty horizon, Tazuna smiled. "Let's name this bridge… the Naruto Bridge." Tsunami smiled and nodded, and brought Inari back home with Tazuna and herself.

-

Team 7 stopped by Zabuza's grave before leaving Wave. Haku looked sadly at the grave while Sakura knelt down. She started to part a section of dirt away. When she finished, she took the picture and placed it in the whole. She turned and looked at the people staring at her actions.

"He would be happier with us close to him always," she answered, patting the dirt smooth. Haku shed a silent tear and prayed for his master.

'Watch over us, Zabuza,' he prayed. Sakura prayed also, wishing Zabuza well to his afterlife. Turning to Team 7, the two hunters walked forward. Haku nodded, and the group was off.

-

The trip was fairly boring, Sakura had to comment. Nothing happened. Since Gato was out for good, any of the assassins were somewhere else looking for work. Sakura looked up at the large gates the led into Konoha.

"The gates are… very big…" Haku commented, not really finding any good adjectives at the moment.

"Pass?" one of the guards asked. Kakashi showed the man his and his team's passports. The guard grunted and turned to the two hunters.

"Uh, sir…" Kakashi tried, but was cut off by Haku and Sakura shoving their passports into the man's face boredly. The guard nodded and let them in. Kakashi stood dumbly, and didn't notice Naruto pulling at his limp arm.

"Kakashi-sensei, we're leaving you behind!" Naruto called, running away from his crazy, pervy teacher. Kakashi numbly followed, being left behind by his students and the hunters. Suddenly, he realized that Haku and Sakura needed him to escort them to the Hokage's tower!

"W-wait up!" he called, running after them.

-

Upon entering the tower, Haku had been open to gape. Not that he wasn't gaping before—it was just that the Mizukage Tower was very shabby compared to this. Sakura wasn't impressed; in fact, she was battling the sudden change from cold to warm. She twitched slightly, and a bead of sweat rolled down her cheek. This was torture for her, in all types and ways and forms. But she was a stubborn hunter, and obediently followed Haku and Kakashi. She almost lashed out at the man, who acted like he wasn't even sorry for killing Haku and starting Zabuza's demise. Kakashi knocked on the door leading into the Hokage's office, and motioned the two hunters to enter after him.

"Ah, Kakashi! Was the mission a success?" The Hokage questioned, looking up from his paperwork.

"Hai, demo…" Kakashi motioned to the brunette and pinkette that had followed him in. "These two were accomplices to Zabuza, but since Zabuza is dead, they have no where to go. Naruto suggested bringing them here, and they were willing," he cast a glance at Sakura, whose eyebrow was having a small seizure, "and I was wondering if it was okay."

"Hm, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem… but, they'll need to prove their devotion to the village. From now on they must wear a hitae-ate," the Hokage answered, his old face smiling. "I don't see why not."

Haku thanked the man, while inside Sakura's world crumbled. The heat… oh, the heat… She would die from overheating unless she got used to this temperature quick. "Hokage-sama, I was wondering… what will our levels be?" Haku asked smiling.

"Hm… first I would like to lean your names," the Hokage answered.

"My name is Haku, and this is…" Haku trailed off to let Sakura introduce herself.

"Watashi wa Sakura. Arigatou gozaimasu, Hokage-sama. It would be a _pleasure to stay here_!" Sakura grit out the last part, bowing respectfully. Her eyebrow was still twitching, and her teeth were grit in annoyance and in uncomfortable pain. The Hokage smiled at her politeness, and nodded.

"Alright, Haku, I would like you to be a Chuunin—you seem mature enough for the job. Sakura, though, I would like to see her fare in the exams coming up." The Hokage handed the two a large tray of differently colored hitae-ate from under his desk. "Choose one please," he commanded. Sakura and Haku observed the hitae-ate, roaming their eyes over the colors.

"I like this one Sakura-chan," Haku said, holding up a dark navy hitae-ate. Sakura fingered Haku's choice, and nodded, showing her approval. Haku smiled as he watched the girl choose her own. Her hand moved to a white one, but paused and moved back unsurely. Haku noted the downcast look on her face while she stared at the hitae-ate. Haku smiled and picked up the headwear and put it in her hands. "You like this one?" he asked. Sakura's eyes moved to her right away from Haku, and nodded slightly.

"You can have it then," the Hokage said, smiling at the two youngsters. Haku thanked the man, and fit his hitae-ate on his forehead. Sakura stared at hers for awhile, wondering where to put hers. Sakura settled with tying it onto her right arms so it didn't interfere with the wakizashi hidden underneath the left sleeve. "Alright, Kakashi, you wouldn't mind if I placed Sakura onto your team, right?" the Hokage asked the jounin. In response, the lazy jounin rubbed the back of his head and sighed, nodding.

'I am in hell,' he thought as he saw the slight glare Sakura sent him.

"Haku, Sakura, you can live in a house near the Hyuugas that has been empty for awhile now. I'll take care of payments, so just worry about food and clothing and such," the Hokage informed as he summoned a jounin. "I'll have Hyuuga Neji escort you. If you wish, he can show you around, or you can explore by yourself." Haku nodded his thanks and Sakura bowed slightly, refusing to speak at the moment. A short while after, a jounin and a coffee haired boy with eyes similar to Sakura's, but pupil-less, entered the room. "Ah, hello Neji. Would you escort these two to the house next to yours, please?" the Hokage asked.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Neji replied, roaming his eyes over the pair. Neither hunters were looking at him, but when he reached the pink haired girl, she turned around and met him eye to eye. 'Odd, she has the eye color as the Hyuugas,' he thought. The girl had an emotionless façade on, and stared at him with moon eyes. He eyed the pendant she proudly wore, taking its beauty. Roaming down her body, he took in her style of clothing. He found it slightly indecent, but noticed that her thin stature made her quick in battle, and a longer kimono would have slowed her, and would make pulling the wakizashis from their sheathes a pain.

"This is Hyuuga Neji," the Hokage informed. "He'll show you to your home—oh, also, Neji, if they wanted, could you guide them around? They're from Wave. Their names are Haku and Sakura." Neji nodded with a small grunt. "Well, now that everything's settled," Sarutobi smiled, "I need peace for paperwork, so it's time to leave!" The occupants in the room left the Hokage quickly, filing out.

Kakashi turned to Sakura and informed, "Meet us at the Team 7 Bridge at 6. Don't be late!" Kakashi poofed out, leaving the teenagers by themselves.

"Come on," Neji commanded, walking away. Haku followed, and Sakura followed Haku, making the three of them a choo-choo train of sorts.

-

"We're here," Neji informed, stopping. Before the three was a huge complex that looked like it had the same layout as the Hyuuga's home.

"Sugoi!" Haku said, taking in the atmosphere around the building. It seemed rather dark and cold…

Sakura loved it.

Running in, Sakura fucking _jumped _over the closed gates, not waiting for her companions. Haku opened it normally, and Neji went inside with Haku.

"I'll wait here while you unpack," Neji said, leaning against a pillar in the porch. Haku nodded his understanding and left to go inside. He sweatdropped when he saw that Sakura hadn't even turned on any lights. Knowing Sakura would choose the coldest and darkest room, Haku walked into a hallway close to the kitchen. That way, he could smell Sakura's food and wake up.

Yes, Haku could not cook. Zabuza would cook before Sakura came, but that wasn't very appetizing ether. Sakura was a great cook, and could do a lot of housework. She sewed, cleaned, and cooked, but Sakura had never voiced complaints. He reasoned that she wanted him happy. Thinking back, he remembered that she said doing those things calmed her down when her nerves were high strung. Like whenever he went on a mission appointed from Zabuza—Haku would always come back seeing the place squeaky clean and Sakura sitting by the door, sewing any clothes Zabuza or he had torn, furiously. Haku laughed at the girly habits Sakura had and kept. Sometimes he forgot that Sakura was a girl and did these things… Not that he thought she was a guy. Getting confused by his own thoughts, Haku put away his things.

Meanwhile, Sakura had been basking in the complete darkness of her room.

"Ooh, the coldness… How I have missed you!" Sakura cooed to the dark of her room. Completely out of character, she threw herself onto the bed. Sighing in comfort, she leant back up and checked the room, paranoid that someone saw her little outburst that came once in awhile. Satisfied that her room was only housing herself, and grabbed her things and put them away, using her wonderful night vision to look around. Beginning to reach for her wakizashis on her thighs, she stopped, and leant back up. "Something could happen," she reasoned with herself. Inside though, she knew that she was comforted by the feel of the sword on her skin, and that she, god forbid she admitted it out loud, had an obsessity with them. Her three wakizashis were her most prized items other than her pendant. Deciding she had wasted enough time, Sakura transported to the front porch where she scared Neji. Haku laughed, and told the Hyuuga boy that he would get used to it. Neji grumbled, and asked the two if they wanted to be shown around.

"Eh…" Haku put a thoughtful finger on his chin and looked up. "I'll just explore by myself, if you don't mind. What about you, Sakura-chan?"

"I don't feel like getting lost, so I'll tag along with Neji-san," Sakura answered, crossing her arms and scowling slightly. Haku nodded and went off on his own, and Sakura looked at Neji. He was looking at her by the bottoms of his eyes, producing his, 'holier than thou,' look. Sakura countered with the same face, thus beginning the contest! The two stared into the other's milky orbs, one with pupils, the other with none. Neji was the first to blink.

Turning to the gates, he said, "Accepted." Sakura inwardly burst with happiness. "Let's go Sakura," Neji commanded, starting to leave her. Sakura scampered up behind him and followed like she did with Haku.

-

Neji was having a fairly good time. As he showed the girl beside him she listened intently, and spoke when needed. They were currently in the park. They were using a bench by a small fountain under a tree to shade them from the sun. Neji looked at his pink haired companion, and thought about the little time they had spent together. Right now it was silent, and only the breeze sounded. It wasn't uncomfortable being near the girl, even though it did seem colder near her. But that wasn't uncomfortable either. Her aura was calming, like taking a nice long drink of water after spending a day or two in the desert. He focused on her face, and noticed her eyebrow twitching slightly. Her eyes were shut in discomfort, and a small bead of sweat rolled down her face. He smirked.

"Something wrong Sakura?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

"Yes," she grit out. Neji blinked, and ushered for the girl to continue. Maybe they could hold a conversation. He hoped she was decent—not many of the people in Konoha were. "It is far too hot here—how do you people live like this!?"

"Is it a problem?"

"It's slowly grating on my nerves. I was not made for heat, I'm guessing," Sakura replied. "I don't remember where I lived before Wave, so I'm at a loss."

"You don't remember?" Neji asked.

"No, Haku-teishu found me on the verge of death in the forest one day and took me in. He was taken under Zabuza at the time. The only thing I had with me was my pendant and Reiki." Sakura laughed when she remembered when Haku had almost been punctured with the wakizashi she had hid in her kimono when he had found her. She now kept it strapped on her arm.

"Reiki?" Neji asked, wondering if it was a pet. Sakura lifted up her left sleeve to show him the long wakizashi strapped onto her arm. "Oh, I see…" Neji noted the others on her legs. "What about those?" he asked, pointing to the other wakizashis.

"This one," Sakura lifted up her right leg which had the blood patterned wakizashi, "is Reiketsu. And this," Sakura lifted up the other leg to show the snow patterned wakizashi, "is Tsurara."

"You have a lot of wakizashis…" Neji commented, eyeing the girl. She and his teammate would be great friends. The conversation started to die down, and Sakura started twitching again.

"I'm grateful for what you've done Neji-san… Demo…" Sakura grit out, 'demo.' "I can't survive any longer out here…" Neji noticed right away that she was overheating, and nodded. The two got up and started to make their way to Sakura's new home.

-

Halfway through the trip back, Sakura had started lagging behind. When Neji had noticed her presence missing (The air was considerably warmer, he realized.), he turned back to see her grabbing onto a light pole for life. She was panting hard, and looked ready to keel over any minute.

"Hey, Sakura, are you okay?" Neji asked, stretching his hand to her. Sakura looked at him with an annoyed face.

"No…" she wheezed out, glaring as hard as she could. As she let go of the pole and straightened herself out, she promptly fell forward onto Neji. The Hyuuga boy grunted from the impact of the unconscious girl. Sighing, he managed to maneuver her onto his back.

"Always happens to me, doesn't it, Fate?" Neji muttered, carrying Sakura back. Somehow he had her piggybacked on his back with her arms linked around his neck. His hands were under her thighs to keep her up. Neji gulped when she slipped and he grabbed her ass. 'Wow, that's nice,' he thought, blushing as he felt up her butt. Realizing what his hormones had made him do, Neji removed his hands from the soft pillows known as Sakura's butt cheeks, he grabbed her thighs once again. Happy she was down for the count, Neji sighed and continued his way to her new home. Upon reaching her grand home, he realized he that he had no clue as to where her room was. And he did not feel like walking the entire compound. He decided to bring her to his home instead, and deal with the Haku boy later. Walking into the compound, he was greeted by his cousin, Hinata.

"N-Neji-nii-s-san?!" Hinata asked, shocked at her cousin piggybacking a pink haired girl.

"I was showing this girl around Hinata, but she fainted from heat exhaustion," Neji informed, glaring at his cousin.

"O-oh… E-eto… Sh-should I-I tell F-Father?" Hinata asked, playing with her fingers.

"Hai, if you would Hinata-sama." Neji started to walk past his cousin. Hinata nodded and stared at Neji. She gasped when she saw him twitch to rub the girl's ass. Blushing furiously, she stormed out of there, looking for her father.

-

Neji berated himself as he lowered Sakura into his bed. He had almost rubbed her ass—_**again**_! Praying that Hinata had not seen that, he started to remove the weaponry that was attached on her body. First he removed Reiki from Sakura's arm. Gulping, he reached to remove Tsurara and Reiketsu from their places on her thighs. Blushing furiously, he unclasped the clasps on the inner parts of her thighs. Removing the weaponry quickly, he stashed them on his shelf. Sighing, Neji took off her socks and shoes, wary of the small shuriken like ornaments on the straps of the sandal. Lifting Sakura up, Neji undid the bow on her bun, and took out the chopsticks, letting her ridiculously long pink hair fall down in a river of carnation. Neji let his fingers sift through her hair, and was surprised is was as soft as his. Setting the intricately patterned chopsticks on the desk by the wakizashis, he glanced back over to Sakura to make sure he didn't forget anything. He remembered the pendant she wore, and moved to remove that. He flinched when Sakura's hand swung up and clasped onto his wrist, only allowing him to move back. Neji moved his eyes up to her face, and took in a slight breath, ready to see her moonlit eyes glaring at him. He sighed when her eyes were still closed and she was unaware of his presence at the moment. Pulling back, Neji sat in a chair, listening to the pink haired hunter's soft and deep breathing.

-

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YES! I finished this before Christmas Eve!! WOOT! This is my present for Christmas! Merry Christmas everybody! (I'm Baptist—sue me!)

This chapter was dedicated to the little piece of me that knows my husband is a pervert true at heart.

Neji- HEY! –glares-

Chocolat- Wut? T.T It's true! (Countless experiences!)

Sakura- But… why **my** ass? –hides ass protectively-

Chocolat- Cause I needed to get my Inner Pervert! xD Neji too!

Neji- HEY! Just because her ass is round, and soft, and delectable, and smooth doesn't mean I'm a pervert!

Girls- …T-T

Chocolat- When the day pigs fly, Neji-chan dear, when the day pigs fly…

Haku- …You molested Sakura-chan!?

Neji- NO!!!

Chocolat- Naw, he molested me! He _groped_ Saku-chan! (But he groped me too…)

Neji- Whyy? WHY ME FATE!?

Chocolat- -chops Neji's head- Now, Neji-chan, enough about Fate!

Neji- -whimpers- I'm not a pervert…

Chocolat- YOUR CLOSET SAYS OTHERWISE! –shows closet filled with Icha Icha Novels-

Neji- -gasps- NO! –tears picture-

Chocolat- T-T Nice. I can always go home and take another one.

Neji- -dramatically gasps and faints- THUD!

Sakura- Uh…

Haku- Let's go now Sakura-chan…

Chocolat- You big baby! –kicks Neji's side-

-

-

-teishu—master/Team 7 thought Sakura had meant 'husband', which is another meaning for teishu

Hai—yes

Usoda—lies

Iie—no

Gomenasai—sorry

Wakizashi—a sword commonly used as an accompanying sword to a katana

Arigatou—thank you

Mizukage Tower—the tower the Mizukage works at

Mizukage—the Kage of Wave; Water Shadow

Demo—but, although

Hitae-ate—the headband adorning the village's symbol; the headwear used by ninja to symbolize which village the hail from

Watashi wa…—I am…

Arigatou gozaimasu—thank you very much

Sugoi—amazing, wow

Reiki—cold, chill, cold air, cold weather, cold wave, cold air, aura; Sakura's black wakizashi that she straps onto her arm

Reiketsu—coldblooded-ness, coldhearted-ness; Sakura's blood patterned wakizashi that she straps onto her right thigh

Tsurara—icicle, ice pillar; Sakura's snow patterned wakizashi that she straps onto her right thigh

Eto—um

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Tell me if I have any mistakes! I double checked! Please review, I want to hear your opinions! Any advice is greatly appreciated also! Another long chapter for you guys!

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Preview

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Alright, a few questions have been answered! The hunters have taken residence in Konoha, and Sakura will partake in the Chuunin exams! How will she fare? Will she find out Neji groped her ass?

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Sakura wakes up in a room that's not hers, de-weaponed. After having Neji explain to her, she sets off to the Team 7 Bridge to meet up with her new Team. After receiving the forms, she follows Naruto to Ichiraku's, and meets up with the Konohamaru Squad. But it's not all fun and games when the Suna shinobi make an entrance…

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Look out for the next chapter! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


	3. Chapter 3

Full Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and one Hunter Nin, but two Hunter Nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink…

Disclaimer: No own.

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Oh my god! So many reviews!! Thanks so much!! Reply timeee!

XxSorenxX— -giggles with you- In ALL of my stories Neji WILL BE STRAIGHT! Bwahaha! –evil look-

Kindcrazynarutofan—Yay—you reviewed! –huggles- Thanks!

Kibafan291—No frets! I'm saving your life!!

Pinky101—Thanks! I'm glad you like this!

NejiSakuFan—OMFG! –glomp- I fellow NejiSaku luvur!! Well, the pairing is a secret… (-cough- it does include a triangle—possible square!-cough-)

Layla99—Thanks! No worries!

Lizzygurl—I am!

Sara1965—Lawls, triangle, possible square! (I'm not giving the names—but it IS pretty obvious! xD)

Cherry-blossom-of-your-dreams—Thanks!

Emogurl1234—-girlish squeal- YES! You reviewed! YES! My EGO goes 'PSHOO'!

Erin—AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! –points and laughs- You SUCKER! Your timing—horrible! Your luck—even worse! Such irony! (Aha, you know I say this in a positive way honey bun!)

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WOW! I was like, "Fuck, I don' wanna reply to all this!" But then I was like, "Oh, wait, dammit, replying means I get free words. X( (Yes, I use EVERY little thing to get words to reach at LEAST 7000. xD Like right now. It isn't a necessity, but I'm doing it anyways!)

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Christmas was great for me! I got so much manga! (I had to rearrange my little bookshelf!) And some spiffy clothes… And a TABLET! –hallelujah in background- Was all of yours' good?

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Once more—No correct dialogue! YES!! Well, I hope there isn't… Uh… Yeah…

Damn, there is some at the end… -rants-

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Also, the amount of –'s shows how much time passed. So, if there is one of theme, a short amount passed. If there's three or four, a good amount has passed.

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Warnings: Pervert! Neji at beginning (Yes, I have to have some pervy Neji!). Smidgen of Pervert! Hinata (If I keep going like this, the whole Hyuuga clan will become pervs. D: O noes!). Pervy Humor. Practically lots of people become pervs.

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Page count: 19

Word count: 7258

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Good luck with surviving the pervyness of this chapter. xD Some Humor is in this too, so I might get a few chuckles out of you.)

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This is for my beloved Aunt Linda and two of my cousins (whom I do not remember, but have met; they're my mother's age), who died Christmas Day in Florida from an accident caused by DUI, from a driver who has had previous DUI accidents.

God rest your souls.

Burn in hell, you bastard. Why the fuck do you still live?

-

**Frost**

**Chapter 2**

**Chuunin Exams**

**AKA: The ****Pervo**** Chapter**

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Sakura knew the first minute she awoke something was wrong. The room was not dark nor was cold, meaning it could not have been her room. Also, she was greatly disturbed when she noticed the comforting feel of her weapons was not there. Her hair was not in its bun, and her shoes and socks were gone. Repressing a shiver, she decided to open her eyes and get up. She never expected to feel something stop her—or capture her lips.

-Neji's POV

I was just walking in from a morning shower, when I gazed upon the girl in my bed. The blush from heat was gone, and looked really cute lying like that…

No, I did not call the pink girl cute. I do not use cute.

_No, the word is adorable!_ Ah, that little nagging voice in my head. It was what caused me to almost grope the girl's luscious ass a second time…

…God dammit, I'm going to kill that voice.

Walking towards the bed, I leant over, making my ponytail fall to my right, away from her. I noticed her chakra becoming more defined, signifying her awake. Deciding now was the time to leave, I started to lean back up. I was stopped, however, when she leant up. Our lips touched, forming what one would call a kiss. My eyes widened to an impossible size, and hers did too. It was an awkward kiss, but it was kiss all the same.

_If this will happen every time she wakes up, bring her out to faint all the time!_

I mentally blasted that voice to Mars.

-Sakura's POV

My eyes widened when I felt someone else's lips upon my own. I saw Neji's eyes immediately, just as wide as my own. We stayed like that for a second or two—my mind was too fogged with morning fog, and his was probably just not registering what was happening. I pulled away, quickly scooting back if he decided to fall head first into the bed from brain malfunction. I apologized quickly, not really caring. I accidently knocked into his lips, and thought nothing of it.

It never occurred to me that that was my first kiss.

-Normal POV

Neji stiffly leant back up; mulling over the fact his first kiss was gone like that. He glanced over to the 'culprit,' seeing how she was unaffected. He backed away, far away from her. Sakura got up, and started to undress right in front of the coffee haired teen.

"Wh-whoa, what are you doing?!" he asked, a blush prominent on his face.

"I have to take off my clothing to put back on my wakizashis," Sakura replied, continuing to strip herself. Was something wrong? She can't remember how many times she had undressed in front of Zabuza and Haku. Poor girl doesn't know about hormones.

"Do that in the bathroom!" Neji said, his hand twitching to rub his nose. He felt the blood starting to come down from there. Sakura turned to him, only dressed in the under dress, so her breasts were visible. He was certain his entire face rivaled his cousin's. Sakura shrugged, and gathered all her items, stacking them into a pile. Maneuvering into the bathroom adjoined to Neji's room, she turned once more.

"Can I take a shower?" she asked, beginning to open the door. Neji nodded vigorously, making Sakura disappear into the bathroom. He sighed when he heard her put down her items and begin to shower. Bringing down his finger—which he had noticed he had put up—he saw a little bit of red. Cursing the nagging voice, her tore a small amount of tissue, rolled it up, and stuck it in his nose. Once he heard Sakura stop the water, he pulled it out and disposed of the evidence. A few minutes later filled with the sounds of fabric on fabric and rustling, Sakura came out, fully dressed, save her hair. It still amazed Neji that her entire length of hair nearly reached her knees—another foot and a half and she would reach the floor. He watched as she fuddled with her hair, growling a few times. Sighing, he walked over and sat her on the bed, then sat himself behind her. Sakura knew what he was doing, and sat quietly as Neji wound her hair into a bunned ponytail. He tied the cover over it, and added the chopsticks. Before he could grab the small ornaments on Sakura's bun cover, she grabbed her wrist. "Don't do that, Neji-san," she warned, letting him go. "I've impregnated it with an extremely potent poison that causes rot on contact. Be extra wary of the tips—they're connected to a sac of one of my deadliest poisons." Neji raised one of his brows, and mindlessly started to play with her hair. Sakura took no heed to it, and let him continue.

"Really?" he asked.

"Everything on me has a purpose," Sakura explained, pointing to the ornaments on her sandals. "See these shuriken like things? Their tips are coated with a painful poison that escapes inside the body once is cuts through." Neji nodded, not daring to ask how she knew what the results were. "Even these small ornaments," she said, holding up on of the ornaments connected to a string that wrapped around her obi and tied in a butterfly bow, "are extremely deadly. It releases a poison that messes up with your systems, creating internal turmoil. It's on of my… more painful methods." Neji discreetly scooted away. Sakura shrugged, and looked at the clock. "8AM? Oh, I'm late…"

"Can you find your way? I have to meet up with my own team," Neji asked, getting up to leave.

"Yeah, I'm specialized in finding people." 'Then killing them.' Sakura, too, got up and started to walk down the halls with Neji. "Oh, why was I here?" she asked.

"You fainted from the heat," Neji informed, skipping his probing of her ass.

"Oh," Sakura replied, facing forwards again.

"You just have to go down that hallway to get out. I go this way," Neji informed, leaving. Shrugging, Sakura made her was down the hall. In deep thought, she didn't noticed Hinata coming out of a room and into her way. The two kunoichi fell in heap, kissing each other.

-Hinata's POV

I was walking out of a bathroom when all of a sudden, 'BAM!' The girl Neji-nii-san was carrying (and almost groped) hit into me, causing us both to hit the floor. My eyes shot open when I felt our lips connecting in a kiss. She looked surprised, and slightly annoyed. I blushed crimson, and my thoughts started going crazy. I did have to admit her lips were very soft…

…Did I just think that?

-Sakura's POV

Nice, now I run into this girl! First it was Neji, now this girl? I must have the worst of luck! I picked myself up, muttering another apology. The girl was as red as a tomato. Did I cut off her air? Oops. I extended a hand to pick her up, which she graciously took. I guess I surprised her when I nearly sent her a foot off the ground when I pulled her up.

"I'm sorry about that…" I apologized, bowing slightly. The girl held up her hands and shook my apology off, saying it was her fault. I said I was at fault, but she did not budge. Not wanting to get into a heated conversation about whose fault it was, I muttered a rushed, 'sayonara,' before, _politely_, fast walking outside.

-Normal POV

Hinata could only watch the pink haired girl's back as she quickly, yet somehow politely stormed out of her house. She stared in deep contemplation. She couldn't catch the girl's name! …Other than that…

Her hidden breasts did feel very nice…

Slapping herself violently, Hinata ran out to meet with her own team. Was she… turning into Neji? (Or WORSE?! Had he kissed her?! Oh gods, she hoped she wasn't turning into a hentai!)

-

(Can you see how the music made me type that way? xD I'm listening to the ultra happy songs from (sadly) hentai games. Although, I do not have them…(For they are all in Japan!) Sucks they're hentai games though—they're really cute! Try searching up 'Gacha Gacha Figu FULL'! It's very cute to listen to! To those who do not understand the Japanese language: it's VERY safe to listen to! To those who do understand: BEWARE! I haven't searched up the lyrics (I hope I never do!), but reading a comment from a person who said a part of the lyrics… (let's just say… it was very… uh, how to say this… suggestive? Yes, a DEFINITE suggestive phrase!) Youtube is a good place to look. Only choose the one with the face in the preview box thing! The others aren't full! Or Imeem! Imeem is a great place! You need an account though.)

-

Sakura, using her ultimate sensing abilities, discovered Naruto's very distinctive chakra signature. Running onto the bridge, she failed to notice Naruto's exact position.

Right in the middle of the bridge.

Realizing her clouded thoughts stopped her from seeing the orange clad boy (HOW, she wondered could she miss ORANGE), the inevitable result was her falling onto the blonde. And, once again, her lips fell right onto Naruto's.

'Lovely!' she thought to herself with half lidded eyes as Naruto's eye shot open farther than both Hyuugas'. Apparently, today is not her day.

-Naruto's POV

I saw Sakura-chan running to the bridge, but not stop! In a blink of an eye, she landed on me, and now we're KISSING!! Not that I'm complaining!!

In fact, I think my hand is on one of her boobs…

Bad Naruto! I scolded myself. I will not become a Kakashi-sensei!

But it does feel good… NO! I smacked my mental self. I think I sighed when Sakura sighed and got off of me. Internally I whined at the loss of the roundness in my hand, when I realized she was holding out a hand to hoist me up. Smiling my trademark foxy grin, I grabbed her hand. It disappeared when she nearly sent me a foot off the ground. If I turned around, I'm sure I would've seen Teme gaping like a fish.

Damn.

-Normal POV

Sasuke was open mouthed, gaping just like Naruto had thought. Sakura had brushed herself off, quickly moving towards a very shadowed area. Luckily for her, Kakashi was not there yet. Sakura scanned the people there, and realized only Sasuke and Naruto were present. Naruto was throwing a fuss about Kakashi's lateness. She sighed, plopping herself down. Fifteen minutes or so later, Kakashi poofed onto the bridge.

"You're late!" Naruto yelled, pointing accusingly at the silver haired man.

"I lost my way on the road of life," the man explained, rubbing the back of his head. Growing serious, he stated to speak. "Firstly, I will inform you that Sakura will be taking Sai's place." This caused both boys to look at the pinkette. "Secondly, I am entering you in the Chuunin Exams!" To prove his point, Kakashi held out three slips.

Naruto gasped, and glomped onto his teacher. "Chuunin Exams! Chuunin Exams!" he yelled, swinging around his teacher's neck.

"Whoa! Calm down Naruto!" Kakashi said, putting a giddy Naruto down. "All right, here. I've filled one out for each of you." Kakashi handed one to each of his students. He carefully gave the glaring Sakura her pass. "The exams will be hosted tomorrow! Remember, it's your own personal decision to take these tests!" He poofed out of the area, leaving the three gennin. Sasuke silently left, leaving Sakura and Naruto.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, want to get some ramen with me?" Naruto asked, hopeful that the pretty girl would accept.

Sakura sighed, "Sure, Haku-teishu is busy with work, and I need something to eat." She got up, cursing the sun. The two made their way to Ichiraku's, but along the way, picked up… a square rock. Naruto stared at it, squinting his eyes, making himself look like a fox. He ran ahead of Sakura, only to be followed by the 'rock'. Naruto and the… rock… kept running around before Naruto stopped.

"Alright, I know someone's in there, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the box with a hand on his hip.

"No wonder you're my rival," a voice from the box declared, followed by three explosions of colored smoke. The smoke cleared to reveal three academy students, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. Naruto started to argue with Konohamaru, his eyes squinting in a foxy manner. To Sakura, the scene was truly hilarious. She lifted a hand in an elegant manner to conceal her small chuckles. The fighting stopped immediately, and Naruto stared wide eyed.

'She… she… she's… laughing!' Naruto thought, shocked in his mind. Konohamaru brought a sly smile upon his face and elbowed Naruto.

"Is that pretty girl your _girlfriend_ Boss?" he asked, smirking quite devilishly.

"Thank you for the compliment," Sakura said, bending down to Konohamaru's height. "No, we are not an item…" Sakura cleared waving a teasing finger in Konohamaru's face. Naruto wondered where the stoic Sakura had gone.

Konohamaru turned to Naruto. "Boss, wanna play ninja with us?" Konohamaru asked.

"A ninja playing ninja? Is that something academy students do?" Sakura muttered to herself, standing back up. Konohamaru ran with Moegi and Udon, while Naruto ran after them. Sakura sighed, and followed them, staying in the shadowed parts of the road. When she caught up she saw a boy in a black suit holding Konohamaru by his scarf next to a sturdy blonde girl, and Naruto glaring at the black wearing boy with the two younger children behind him.

"Put down Konohamaru now!" Naruto commanded.

"Yeah, Kankuro, we'll get in trouble," the female blonde commented, appearing a little frightened.

"Yeah, yeah Temari. I'll just teach this little runt a lesson…" Kankuro responded, lifting Konohamaru a little higher.

"Whatever, I'm not being blamed for this." Temari remarked, turning slightly away from Kankuro. Kankuro smirked, and tightened his grip on Konohamaru. Sakura decided things were getting out of hand, and was forced to step out of the shadows.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, relieved his new teammate was there. Sighing, Sakura walked next to the boy.

Sakura turned to the two nin. "Please put Konohamaru down." There, simple. But of course people were more difficult nowadays.

"Why would I do that, pinky?" Kankuro taunted, slightly disappointed when Sakura's façade did not change. Sakura walked up to Kankuro and grabbed his arm that was suspending Konohamaru in the air. Kankuro winced at the strength reinforcing the grip.

"Just unhand the boy," Sakura ordered, her icy tone accompanying a fearsome glare. She tightened her own grip. Kankuro flinched and dropped Konohamaru to the floor. "Good," Sakura commented, releasing her steel vice grip. "Arigatou," she said, stepping back. Sakura glanced up to the loft of an overhead tree, her moon white orbs seeing something the others didn't. She mouthed, 'yoroshiku.' A few seconds later a boy with red hair and a gourd on his back teleported down. She turned her gaze to the tree beside the one she was previously looking at and commanded, "Get down here, Sasuke." Sasuke soon jumped down.

Temari smirked, 'The local hottie?' she thought. Sakura rolled her eyes. Even though she had only been here for two days she was already aware of Sasuke's fanclub stalking him…

More specifically, _her_. Sakura noticed that she kept feeling presences follow her right after she came into Konoha. "Are you here for the Chuunin Exams?" Sakura asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.

"Yeah," Temari responded. "We're the Suna nin."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sakura said, waving her hand slightly. "Suna has been allied with Konoha for awhile I guess." Sakura started to walk towards the Suna nin. Kankuro flinched, but afterwards sighed when Sakura passed by him. As Sakura passed by Gaara, stray rocks made her trip, and bring Gaara down with her. And guess what?

Yes, they had the fate of kissing.

-Sakura's POV

DAMMIT!!

-Gaara's POV

What the hell!? What's going on!? Why didn't my sand react? Why do I feel something nice and soft and squishy?! And something round and soft and delectable?!

Shukaku chuckled in the back of my mind. 'Boy, the soft things on your lips are the girl's lips, and those other soft things? Those are her boobies.'

Boobies… I like those… I thought in my mind.

-Temari's POV

Have I died and gone to heaven?

-Kankuro's POV

Has Hell frozen over?

-Normal POV

Everyone was gaping. Gaara's eyes had widened widely and a small blush painted his cheeks a pretty pink. He saw Sakura's eyebrow twitching. She leapt off of him and helped him up. He only was raised from the ground by an inch or two because of his gourd.

"Well, gomenasai." Sakura said. A bead of sweat rolled down her face. "I leave now, sayonara!" She disappeared into thin air into the tree, surprising the gennin. Sakura leapt from tree to tree to escape the hell hole she called Konoha. Everyone stood there for a moment before the silence was broken with a cry from Naruto.

"We didn't get to eat ramen!"

-

-

Sakura had retreated into her compound, huddling in a small corner. Haku walked in and stared at her for a few seconds. In a flurry of movement, Haku had launched himself onto Sakura, crying dramatically.

"SAKURA-CHAN! WHERE DID YOU GO?!" he yelled, wrapping his arms over the pinkette.

"When Neji-san showed me around, I fainted from heat, and he brought me next door. Gomenasai, Haku-teishu." Sakura attempted to bow, but with Haku's glomp, the two fell to the ground. If you know what happened next, yay… What, do you want a cookie or something? Augh, for the stupid people here:

They lip locked.

-Sakura's POV

OH NO! NOT HAKU-TEISHU TOO! My mind collapsed. RED LIGHT, RED LIGHT! WARNING, WARNING! Danger, danger!

-Haku's POV

I feel Sakura's lips… and boobs… I didn't know they felt that good…

NO! Haku, those were unnecessary thoughts! Do not think about Sakura's wonderfully soft chest pillows! Or her very round ass! Or her delicious peppermint tasting lips!

NOOOOOO!!! I AM DOOMED!

-Normal POV

Sakura jumped a foot away; bringing Haku up with her (He had not yet let her go from his hug.)

"I-I-I-I-I'm very s-s-s-sorry H-H-Haku-t-teishu!!" Sakura apologized profusely, not trying to bow. Haku blushed prettily, and stepped away from his follower.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan." Haku blushed, and started to walk into the kitchen. "So, what happened today?" he asked, trying to distract the two from the kiss.

"Kakashi-san gave me the form for the Chuunin Exams," Sakura informed, also stepping into the kitchen. "Want me to make you something?" Haku nodded positive, and requested some simple onigiri. As Sakura started to take out the rice, Haku asked another question.

"You know that every village is sending teams, right? Even the new Sound Village?"

"Yes," Sakura responded, filling up a basket with water. "I've already met the Suna shinobi, so I figured the others must be sending candidates also." She drained the water, careful to not spill the rice. "Mist will not be a problem, and the other Konoha shinobi may be of _some_ challenge, but I am mostly wary of Sound and Sand…" She took the rice and put it into a cooker, and set the timer for 15 minutes.

"Why, Sakura-chan?" Haku inquired. "I don't think that they'll be too hard for you."

"I'm getting bad vibes, Haku-teishu," Sakura informed in a foreboding tone. "I don't trust them at all…" The two sat in silence until the timer started to beep. Haku stared at the table, weary of the Suna and Sound shinobi.

'When Sakura-chan gets 'feelings', bad things happen,' he thought, remembering a plethora of times when Sakura had unclearly foretold an event. Sakura had started to mold the scalding hot rice, not bothering to use a spoon. Haku wondered how she did it, but reasoned that she always was cold, and wasn't affected by those things… Save the weather, of course. This brought him to think about the fateful battle on the bridge and Zabuza's death. He swore that Kakashi had impaled him with the lightning attack, a potentially deadly blow… Yet he still was alive. How? This question plagued him for the ten minutes Sakura took to roll the rice into the triangular form.

"Haku-teishu, do you want to help me put in the umeboshi?" Sakura asked, holding up one of the small fruits. Haku nodded, decided to think it over later, and joined Sakura by the counter. The two had made this dish so many times they made a game out of it. Whoever could fling the umeboshi into the onigiri the most would win. Sakura walked to the opposite wall and held up an onigiri. "Shoot!" sent Haku's first umeboshi flying to the onigiri. It delved into the rice, but did not hit the wall. Sakura inspected the onigiri thoroughly, turning it this way and that. "Inside the onigiri: one point; almost going through: a half a point. Total: a point and a half." They had even invented a scoring system.

"Oo…" Haku winced, his eye twitching slightly. "I'm losing my touch…" Sakura smiled deviously and handed him an empty rice ball. Haku took Sakura's place by the wall, and prepared for her throw. Sakura picked up an umeboshi and fluently threw it. It sailed through the air and landed perfectly inside the onigiri. As Haku inspected the rice, he flinched. "Inside the onigiri: one point… Perfectly centered: two… Total: three points…" he sighed out loud. Sakura always beat him; excluding the one time she had tripped.

-

After their small game, the two set the completed onigiri out. Haku was silently mulling over his—not so startling—loss. Sakura was emotionless as she neatly prepared the food. The onigiri were a wonderful temperature, hot enough to touch and eat, and yet still have your tummy warmed. Haku thought this every time he ate one of Sakura's onigiri. She was going to be a wonderful wife. She was practically a goddess in the kitchen, and could do anything related to home economics. The two ate in silence. Haku, wrapped up in his own thoughts, did not notice Sakura stand up until she spoke.

"Haku-teishu, it's late, and I am going to sleep now." Haku nodded, bidding the carnation haired female sweet dreams. Sakura left, navigating to the already memorized pathways. Not bothering to shed light into the halls, Sakura strode towards her little haven of darkness from the godforsaken heat and sun. Doing nothing else but stripping her clothes until her under dress was left, she stood in front of her full length mirror. To see the image better, she turned on the light reluctantly. She flinched from the sudden change of illumination, but quickly adjusted. Looking into the mirror, she thought about her identity. 'Who am I?' seemed to be asked more frequently, especially when she looked in mirrors. She was beginning to hate those damned things. Sighing, she turned the light off and strode to her large queen bed. There was no point in thinking about those things. Undoing the startlingly intricate braid Neji had formed from her hair, she sat down on her bed. Setting all of her accessories on her table, she dipped herself under only the first comforter, so she was cushioned by layers of fluff. Sighing contentedly, she loved the feel of her new bed. Her eyelids slowly dipped, darkness lulling her into her inevitable sleep.

-

-

-

"Hiki-nee-chan!" a little girl with pink hair yelled, running through the snow in nothing but a kimono with her hands thrown up. "Hiki-nee-chan!" A girl no older than fifteen came into view, carrying a pack over her tired shoulder. Seeing the younger girl, the elder female dropped the weight and swooped the pink haired girl into her guarded arms. The smaller child laughed as the older swung her around.

"How's my little imouto?" Hiki asked, throwing the little girl up once more.

"Tsuyuki has been great!" the little girl replied in a third person style of speech. "Tsuyuki wanted Hiki-nee-chan to come back _real_ soon, so she wished upon a falling star last night! And guess what! Tsuyuki's wish came true!"

"Wow, that's great Tsuyuki-chan!" Hiki replied, smiling for her little sister. Tsuyuki nodded happily, jumping down from her big sister's arms.

"Come on! Okaa-sama missed you bad! Otou-sama too!" Tsuyuki grabbed Hiki's hand and dragged her across the snowy ground.

"Tsuyuki-chaaan! You're going to get sick if you walk in the snow with only a kimono!" Hiki warned, waving her free finger in a scolding manner.

"But Tsuyuki is always warm! Never EVER is she cold! Tsuyuki loves the cold!" Tsuyuki informed back, pulling harder. Hiki sighed dramatically, and fell in the snow. She acted unconscious as Tsuyuki started to freak out. "Oh no! What will Tsuyuki do?! Hiki-nee-chan is unconscious! Oh no! Doshio?!" Tsuyuki poked her older sister. When she didn't move, Tsuyuki exclaimed, "HIKI-NEE-CHAN IS DEAD!! NOOOOOOO!!!!"

"This is what will happen if you don't wear warmer clooothes…" Hiki said in a spooky voice, rising from the ground like Dracula. "If you don't wear warm clothes… YOU WANT TO EAT BRAINS!!!" Tsuyuki squealed as she ran away from Hiki.

"No!! Tsuyuki want to keep her brains!!" The two siblings laughed as they raced towards the large compound. When the two ran through the gates and reached the front porch, they were greeted by a woman with beautiful white silken hair, and a man with bloody red hair. Hiki's long red hair flowed behind her as she ran up to hug her parents. Tsuyuki's moon eyes shone with happiness as the red haired man picked her up…

-

-

Sakura gasped as her entire torso rose into a sitting position.

'Wh-what was that?' she thought, wiping some of her stray hair from her face. 'The older girl was Hiki, but… who was the pink haired girl? She can't certainly be me… My name is Sakura! Besides, I could never be that happy.' Sakura lay back down, and stared out into the lightening sky. "If I'm correct," she started aloud to herself, "it's most likely four… I meet the team at eight." Sighing, Sakura rest her head deeply into the pillow. In a state of haze before she went to sleep, she vaguely questioned her odd dream, and made a comment.

'I think I'll be having more of these…'

-

-

Sakura grumbled as she walked to the building the first part of the Chuunin Exams were being held. From what she knew, there would be two parts held outside.

"Wonderful," she mumbled, skirting into a shadow. The first part of the Exams would be a written test, the second would be a survival test, and the third would be the final match to see who would become Chuunin. 'It can't be helped,' she reasoned, continuing her way to the building where she would meet up with her teammates. She would be there on the dot, and hopefully Kakashi would be on time for once. Coming upon the large building, she saw her teammates. Naruto waved, while Sasuke leant against the building.

"Hello Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out, trying not to remember yesterday. Sakura waved a hand, speeding her way into the building. The two boys followed in after her.

"Hello Naruto-san, Sasuke-san. Are you ready for this?" Sakura asked, turning her head slightly.

"I sure am! Dattebayo!" Naruto fist pumped, smiling gigantically. Sasuke merely made a sound, which Sakura took as confirmation.

"Well, let's meet up with Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, more like ordering. "We meet him on the third floor," she info informed. The boys nodded and followed the pinkette. They reached a floor with a crowd of ninja trying to enter room 301. A boy wearing green spandex was hit back by two Chuunin guarding the door.

"Listen kid, we're doing this for your own safety!" One with a bandage over his nose yelled. A girl with twin buns went up after the boy.

"Please! We're only trying to get to the first Exam!" She made a pained sound when the other boy hit her back.

"Weaklings like you guys won't last a minute in the Exams!" The brown haired Chuunin announced.

"Drop the act," Sasuke said stepping in front of Sakura. "This isn't even the real room." He turned to the new girl on his team. "You saw it first, right?" Sakura scoffed.

"How could I _not_ notice? And, kami, can't you weaklings see that this isn't even the right door?" Sakura stepped up, crossing her arms. She tapped her foot. "I'm appalled that you didn't even notice this is the second floor!" Some of the gennin growled at her. The sign merged back into 201.

"Heh, it seems we have a feisty one," the bandaged Chuunin said, smirking. He sent a kick to Sakura. Sakura, needing to vent her frustrations at the horrible ninja present, sent back her own, anger filled kick. The spandex garbed boy caught both legs.

'Lucky bastard,' Sakura mumbled in her mind. 'He almost touched the poisoned shuriken on my ankles.'

"This is not a place to fight!" the boy declared, releasing the two ninja. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, seeing that the boy's wounds were gone.

'Was he faking them?' he thought, looking at the black haired boy. Sakura scoffed, and turned to go to her teammates.

"Come on, let's go," Sakura ordered, still frustrated. The trio began to leave, but the spandex clad boy stopped them.

"Wait! Uchiha-san!" The spandex adorning boy called. He bowed, "I am Rock Lee. May you tell me your name?"

Sasuke smirked, "It already seems you know who I am though." The bun haired girl from before came up with Neji.

"Lee! You weren't supposed to draw attention!" she scolded.

"Sorry, Tenten," Lee apologized. Sakura turned back, and saw Neji immediately.

"Neji-san!" she called, walking up to him. "You're taking the Exams too?" Neji nodded.

"Hai, Sakura." Neji turned to Tenten and Lee. "These are my teammates, Rock Lee and Tenten."

"I got stuck with Sasuke-san and Naruto-san," Sakura informed. Neji nodded. Tenten, in the background, giggled at how cute Sasuke was.

"Sakura-san," Lee started, gaining her attention. "Please be my girlfriend!" he continued with a good guy pose. "I'll protect you until the day I die!"

"…" Sakura stared at him coldly, adorning the holier-than-thou look. "Are you… hinting that I am… weak?" she asked, her icy tone spearing through the six gennin.

"N-no, of course n-not Sakura-san…" Lee stuttered, backing.

"No." There, simple and icy cold, just like her. "Those weaker than I have no right to stand next to me on the same level." Lee leant against the wall, muttering "weak".

"Yeah! That's just 'cause she's Haku's wife!" Naruto declared proudly, forgetting teishu was used in its master form. Sakura glared at him.

"You're a little unnoticeable Shorty!" Sakura yelled, refraining from hitting him. Naruto leant on the wall with Lee. Sakura grumbled as she sped her way down the hall. "Sayonara Neji-san! Gambattene!" She turned her head back to them and yelled, "COME ON YA LITTLE SHRIMPS!" Naruto whined about not being treated the same as he followed Sasuke in Sakura's path.

"What an odd team," Tenten commented.

"Hn," Neji said. "She actually only came here a week ago… She lives next door. I think you'll like her Tenten… she's a weapon freak." Tenten's eyes sparkled with interest.

-

Team 7 walked up to there sensei, who surprisingly was not reading his book.

"Hello team! I'm glad you chose to come, Sakura." Kakashi's eye crinkled in an upside down smile. "Beyond this door is the first examination—are you ready?"

"Dattebayo!" Naruto yelled out, fist pumping. "We'll ace this thing!" Kakashi chuckled while the two stoic ninja just stared at the door.

"Can we go now?" Sakura asked, truly not feeling the emotion Naruto was. Was there something so grand about just getting to the _door_? Not waiting for a response, Sakura stepped her way in, sliding by Kakashi so they would not come in contact. Kakashi sighed and wished his team luck with an unseen smile, letting the other two pass. While the two boys were shocked at the mass of people, Sakura analyzed every gennin. 'Weak, weak, weak, Suna, pathetic, weak, some challenge, weak…' She counted off the villages. '…Where's Sound? Odd of them to be missing.'

"Sasuke-kun!" an annoying, high pitched voice that made Sakura swear her ears bleed squealed, tracing to a pony tailed blonde who shamelessly draped herself onto the Uchiha. Her two teammates, a boy Sakura swore looked and sounded he could be a lazy jackass, and an overweight boy eating potato chips. Sakura, not wanting to be relatively near the loud blonde (she couldn't decide which one, though), moved back into a corner.

"Ino, get off me," Sasuke grit out, trying his best not to kill her.

"How troublesome," the lazy boy drawled.

"Aw, shut up Shikamaru, you'll get her started," the overweight boy paused his eating to say.

"It's just that it gets annoying to hear, Chouji." Shikamaru turned to Sakura. "Oi, Naruto, who's that?"

"She's my—oh, hey Kiba!" Naruto waved to the other team.

"Well, well, the Konoha 9 all together again… Where's Sai?" Kiba commented, a large smile on his face.

"Sai had to go for some reason… Sakura-chan is our new teammate!" Naruto informed, pointing to the girl. Sakura felt the need to destroy Naruto—if she hated anything more than sunlight, it was having people's attention on her.

"Sakura, eh?" Kiba said, roaming his eyes over her. 'What a cutie,' he thought. Hinata realized Sakura from yesterday, and turned red. Sakura managed to catch her gaze, and sent an apologizing glance. As the others conversed, Sakura skirted to the last member of Kiba's team. It seemed like he would be a sensible person to communicate to.

"Hello," the boy greeted, moving his head to Sakura.

"Hello," Sakura greeted back, dragging the boy into a shadow. "It's too noisy, ne? People nowadays… Can't find the ability to shut their mouths."

The boy nodded solemnly, adjusting his glasses. "I'm Aburame Shino," he introduced himself.

"Sakura," the pinkette informed, shaking the brunette's hand. "Aburame, huh? What's it like to have kikai under your skin?"

"It's nothing really different," Shino informed. He held out one for her to see. Before she took it into her own hands, Sakura warned the boy.

"Tell it to not eat my chakra. It's like ice, and it'll kill this little guy." Shino nodded, and warned the small kikai of Sakura's deadly chakra. The bug—Sakura guessed it understood—crawled onto her finger, tickling her slightly. Once completely with the bug on her finger, Sakura inspected it, turning her finger around. "Amazing," she complemented. She turned to Shino and asked about its pros and cons. The two got into a deep conversation, and did not notice Kabuto arrive.

-

"So, you're the new guys, huh?" Kabuto asked, kneeling.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, not answering the previous question.

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto," the silver haired teen answered. "This is my seventh time taking these exams." Naruto snickered in the background. "But, it hasn't been fruitless," Kabuto mentioned, holding up a pack of cards. "These are my Nin Cards, cards with information on every ninja taking this exam. But, there's a catch, they're only activated by my chakra," he informed, holding up a card with each village on it. "This is the percentage of how many ninja from each village was sent to this year's Exams."

"What else can they do?" Shikamaru asked, interested in these cards. They would come in handy.

"I can also tell you the stats of the participants," Kabuto answered, smirking. "Anyone you would like to know about?"

"Rock Lee, Sabaku no Gaara, and… Sakura," Sasuke said. That Lee kid was weird, and piqued his interest when he caught Sakura's kick with an odd chakra. Also, after Sakura had left, the Sand trio had introduced themselves. Gaara gave him a scary feeling, making Sasuke wary.

"Aw, you know their names too, that makes it easy," Kabuto mock whined, pulling out cards, before he paused to question Sasuke. "Just 'Sakura'? What about a last name?"

"If you need a visual, she's over there," Sasuke said, pointing at the girl who was in the corner talking to Shino.

"Hm, okay then…" Kabuto said, finding the first two cards and reading the information. Gaara's card shocked the gennin. "Now for Sakura-san." He took a card. Kabuto smirked. "Interesting…"

"What is it?" Ino asked, fighting the urge to peek.

"Let me read the info for you," Kabuto suggested, clearing his throat. "First known name: Sakura. Last known name: none. Age: 12. Born: December 21st. Known Village: Ex-Wave, Konoha. Bloodline: None Known." He chuckled, "this is where it starts to become surprising. According to what I have on her, Sakura apparently has only completed A, B, or S rank _assassination_ missions. There is a total of 87 B, 107 A, and a startling amount of 32 S rank. A grand total of 226 dangerous killing missions. Oh, apparently she's had some suicide missions too."

Kiba stuttered, "2-226?!"

"226…" Ino muttered, shocked to the core. Shikamaru thought about the other information.

"What do you mean by, 'known name'?" he asked. "Is it not definite?"

"Nope," Kabuto smiled, fixing his glasses. "If I'm correct, she's had a memory loss. Complete loss. Nothing remembered at all—that's why it says 'known'. It's what I've gathered about her."

Hinata shot a quick glance at the girl who had seemed so harmless up until now… She turned back immediately and buried herself in her jacket when she remembered the kiss. Sakura's ear perked as she felt someone approaching.

"Shino-san, I'm afraid the examiner is arriving. I hope to finish this conversation," Sakura declared, bowing in respect. Shino nodded his head and the two went back to their respective teams. The nine gennin watched the hunter nin carefully, aware of her scary stats.

"S-Sakura-chan…" Naruto whispered. Sakura quirked an elegant eyebrow in his direction. She slowly turned her head to the front when the first examiner appeared, unlike the others whose heads swung.

"Hello gennin, my name is Morino Ibiki, your first examiner," the man introduced himself. "Take a seat."

The first part of the exams thus began with a startling discovery of the numerous deaths by Sakura…

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DONE! I'm very sorry for not updating sooner! Exams are coming…

Sakura- Feel bad for her, ne?

This chapter was filled with perverted, right?

At the end when I reread this for mistakes, I noticed that I'm a comma whore. D:

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Wakizashi—a sword commonly used as an accompanying sword to a katana

Sayonara—good bye

-teishu—master

Dattebayo—a rough translation is 'Believe it!'; Naruto's original catchphrase before America raped it.

Arigatou—thank you

Yoroshiku—nice to meet you

Gomenasai—sorry

Onigiri—rice ball

Umeboshi—little plums that go inside the onigiri

Hiki—Tsuyuki's older sister, short for 'Hikigane,' her full name, which means trigger

Imouto—little sister

Nee-chan—honorific for big sister

Tsuyuki—a combination of tsuki and yuki, Hiki's little sister

Okaa-sama—mother

Otou-sama—father

Doshio—what should I do?

Kami—god

Gambattene—good luck; do you best

Kikai—the chakra sucking bugs that the Aburame clan host in their bodies

Nin-cards—Kabuto's card that hold information on the participants taking the Chuunin exams

---NOTE!---

Yes, I am very aware that Sakura's birthday is March 28. But, that date would be odd for such an icy and snowy character, so I chose this year's (2008) winter solstice date instead.

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Please alert me of any mistakes I might have missed! Thank you!

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Preview

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The first part of the exams has begun. After Sakura's kissy day, I wonder how she fares with mental knowledge? Also, who is Tsuyuki? Or Hikigane (Hiki)? Are they connected to Sakura? Will Sakura be getting more dreams?

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The first part of the exam was pie for Sakura… she only hopes the next shall be too. With the constant danger of heat, Sakura fights her best in the hell forest—the Forest of Death. When Orochimaru appears, Sakura starts to fear the worst. Now, she has to take care of Sasuke and Naruto…

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I'm sorry for the late update! Please watch out for chapter 4!

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I noticed I started this a long time ago… FORGIVE ME GREAT READERS!

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Review, ne? –cocks head-


	4. Chapter 4

Full Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and one Hunter Nin, but two Hunter Nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink…

Disclaimer: No own.

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Wow, thanks so much for the reviews! They made me so happy! Especially with the demon named…

MIDTERMS.

Yes, the devil in a ScanTron has attacked my school this week (actually, now, it was in January…)… Bleh. Anyways, free words! 8D

Animekidd675—Well, I've already sent you the message. xD

Emogurl1234—thank you—! –hug-

Kibafan291—Yes, I have. xD I know, all those kisses rock… But there isn't (much) pervy humor in this… (if any)

Sakura4eva—You know what? You are one of the nicest people out there! –hug- This is partly dedicated to you!

XxSorenxX—thanks, I had to gauge the amount of missions that could be accomplished in… (What, 5 years?) and the difficulty of each mission… -rambles on-

xXHyuugaSakuraXx—Geez, what is it with people and 'X's' in their names? (Word is being evil with them) Anyways, thanks. 8D

(Too –pant- many –pant- REVIEWS!!! –dramatic fall-)

romanticXXmidnightXXlullaby—yeah, don't remind me… T-T I don't feel like busting my brain right now, try later or something.

Sara1965—lol, thanks. xD Nope, I'm not ruining it!

Pinky101—Thanks, and here it is!

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-revives from faint- Thanks so much, I'm filled with youthful energy! I'm very happy you all like my story! Oh, I'm totally focused now! YOSH!!

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By the way, I drew a fan art for Frost… (Gotta post that link!) I am pretty damn proud of it myself. –insane laughter-

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Gotta get more free words... –eyes dart suspiciously-

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Oh! I've also made a website (yay for Freewebs!) for any stray ideas that pop into my mind! The link is my homepage in my profile.

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From now on, I'm going to put that damn correct dialogue in a blender and use my own script! …Partially.

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Also, the amount of –'s shows how much time passed. So, if there is one of theme, a short amount passed. If there's three or four, a good amount has passed.

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Warnings:

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Page Count: 21

Word Count: 8545

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(Wow, all this shit is 368 words. xD)

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**Frost**

**Chapter 4**

**The Chuunin Exams (Part 2)**

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"Morino Ibiki, eh?" Sakura muttered, smirking. 'I've heard about him… A professional of professional interrogators and torturers.'

"Sit down and I'll assign you numbers," Ibiki ordered, barking out each word. The gennin filed into the rows. Sakura had ended up sitting between one guy from Oto and another from Iwa. After explaining the rules, Ibiki barked out a, "begin!" Sakura roamed her moon like eyes over the paper.

'How…easy,' she mentally drawled, picking up her pencil. 'This is the Konoha Chuunin Exams? Konoha has some of the best ninja… Then again, the gennin here are pitiful.' After she answered questions 1 and 2, a number was called out.

"Number 52, one of the examiners called out, "fail." 'Number 52' yelled at the man before leaving with a growl. His teammates looked on in sympathy.

'Yes, truly pitiful,' Sakura commented in her mind. Tapping her pencil on her desk she looked at question 4. She had answered 3 during 52's tantrum. She scribbled down something quickly. 'The questions get harder and longer as you go farther…' Sakura noticed, scanning the last 5 questions. Jotting down the answer for number 5, she heard three numbers be called out. She discreetly glanced at her teammates. 'Sasuke is fine, but Naruto is having a nervous breakdown. He better pull through, or I'll kill him myself.'

Sasuke had checked his teammates as well. 'Sakura is breezing through this… Hn, the dobe can't answer anything.'

'Oh no, if I fail Sakura-chan will… will…' a picture of Kabuto holding up her mission number popped up. 'Ah, I can't fail!!' Naruto stared at the test that would kill him. Sakura sighed as she finished question 7.

'I think I'll catch up on my sleep,' she thought, jotting down the answers for 8 and 9. She flipped her paper over and rested her head in her arms. Ino glared at the pinkette and projected her soul into Sakura's body.

'Alright, if she's really as good as her card says, these answers will probably be correct,' Ino in Sakura's body thought as she scanned over the answers on Sakura's paper. 'Like taking candy from a baby. Now I just have to get these answers to Chouji and Shikamaru.' Cancelling the jutsu, Ino returned to her body.

'That was weird,' Sakura thought as she came back into consciousness. 'What happened?' She didn't care at the moment, and rested her head back on her arms. Ibiki's annoying voice barked out the beginning of the 10th question after seven candidates' numbers were called.

"Alright, before the next question, I have a few more rules," he announced. Groans sounded throughout the room. "Ahem, if you get this question wrong, you and your team immediately fail and will never be allowed to become Chuunin." People yelled, and murmurs formed. "But, you can choose to take this question or not. If you choose not to, your team will fail. But you will be allowed to take the Chuunin exams again. So, what'll it be?" A few seconds passed before one guy stood up.

"I'm sorry guys… I just can't do it," he apologized to his glaring teammates. The examiners checked off their numbers. More gennin stood to leave and more sounds of checking off things on paper were heard.

"Anyone else?" Ibiki asked, roaming his eyes over the population of gennin. Naruto's fists shook as he began to lift his hand.

'Is he doing what I think he is!? Naruto, you little asshole, you better not be forfeiting!' Sakura yelled in her mind, her eyes eerily glowing. She was about to kill him before he slammed his hand down.

"I'll never give up! That's my nindo—my ninja way! A future Hokage would never give up, so neither will I!" Naruto proclaimed, shouting. His words gave some other teams courage.

'What an interesting kid,' Ibiki thought. "Alright, there's one last thing to tell you…" The candidates tensed. "You pass the first exam!" The room burst into yells and questions. "You see, this test was about collecting intelligence—cheating. The tenth question was to test your teamwork." Ibiki smiled. The gennin jumped when a large ball of cloth rocketed into the room.

"Listen up ya little maggots! I'm Mitsirashi Anko, your next examiner!" a purple haired woman yelled out.

"You're early Anko," Ibiki informed, sighing.

"Wow, Ibiki, are you loosing your touch?" Anko asked, gesturing to the number of candidates.

"Have you thought that we have a strong batch this year?" Ibiki asked, smirking.

"Oh well," Anko said. "There won't be half of them left when I'm done with them…" The statement sent chills through the gennin's backs. "Let's get going!"

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After filling out the forms, team 7 stood by their gate. Sakura was holding the scroll for the meantime. Her exact words were, 'I'm not letting two weaklings like you handle my only chance of passing.' A bell rung and the gates screeched and swung open to let them in. Sakura immediately ran in, leaving behind her teammates. The boys ran in too and caught up to her. While the boys jumped through the trees, Sakura alternated from running to jumping.

"We have three days to get through here with both the heaven and earth scrolls," Sakura reviewed, checking to make sure the scroll was firmly strapped to her arm. Naruto nodded. Not too far into the forest, Naruto asked them to stop.

"Hey, um guys… I gotta take a wiz," he embarrassedly admitted, rubbing the back of his head. He turned to a bush and started to undo his pants.

"Go do that in the bushes, dip shit!" Sakura yelled at him, the good and elegant manners installed in her reacting to the horrid manners being produced from the blonde. She kicked him. I wonder if the good manners realized the length of Sakura's kimono. Sakura huffed and turned away. Naruto came back, scratching his head. Both Sakura and Sasuke sent a weapon sailing towards Naruto. Sasuke, a kunai, while Sakura sent her projectile of choice—a poisoned senbon. Naruto dodged them, causing the weapons to land inside a tree. The area around the senbon turned a sickly color before it started to rot away.

"Naruto's left handed, stupid," Sasuke explained, looking at the hostler on the blonde's right leg.

"Hmph, you're very intelligent…" a creepy man said. He jumped away. Sakura sighed.

"We have to go find Naruto now…" she angrily grumbled to herself. "I wasted a good senbon too… and it was a fricken' new mixture! A FUCKING NEW MIXTURE!" Sasuke backed away, not wanting to be on the receiving end of one of those senbon. They found the poor boy bound and gagged by a tree. Sakura, not in the mood for Naruto's whining, simply picked him up, bound and all. They walked into a large clearing to rest. Sakura dumped Naruto on the ground and swiftly cut the ropes. She sadly sighed as she removed the gag.

"Sakura-chan!!" Naruto whined. "Why didn't you let me go before!?" Sakura glared at him, and rubbed her temples. All this noise was very new for her. You get used to the quiet when you lived in a forest with a wandering nin and a hunter nin with the only people you see often are the dead, silent ones.

"We should come up with a code so that we aren't impersonated again," Sasuke suggested, kneeling with his team. He recited a ninja poem, which was too long for a mortal mind… Except Sakura, since she recited this thing perfectly at the age of eight. (You really think I'm putting that long ass thing in here?!)

"Sasuke!! I can't remember that!" Naruto yelled, gripping his head. It hurted!

"If you can't remember that small thing, you have no right to be called a ninja," Sakura commented coldly. Naruto swung his head towards Sakura with a disbelieving look in his eyes at the word 'small.' Suddenly a strong wind blasted through the trees, sweeping the gennin off their feet. They were separated.

Sakura cursed at the thought of finding her teammates. Even though passing was her top priority, she had a great sense of pride and honor. After rechecking the scroll, she sent off to find Sasuke. She found him easily, for she wasn't called a hunter for nothing. "Sasuke, have you seen Naruto?"

"Code first," Sasuke ordered, preparing a kunai.

Sakura glared at him coldly (Does he think I would be so inexperienced to be _captured_?) and recited the long poem. Sasuke nodded his head and put his kunai away. The two heard Naruto's annoying voice calling out to them.

"Hey, Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan!" Naruto stepped out from the bushes. Sasuke asked for the password first. Naruto recited that colossal thing before he was targeted by two weapons. "What was that for!?" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke smirked as he got another kunai ready. "Naruto would never be able to remember the whole thing, so you're obviously an imposter." 'Naruto' giggled at Sasuke.

"My, my, you're very smart," a Grass woman said as she morphed back into her body. Sasuke and Sakura got into a stiffened stance. "It also seems you would need this, right?" she held up a scroll. Smirking, she stuffed it into her mouth and swallowed it like a snake. Sasuke flinched while Sakura tried to ignore the horrible aura around the woman.

'This power she radiates is not a gennin's… She's much stronger than a Chuunin or jounin…' Sakura tried to sort out her thoughts as she prepared to back up Sasuke, who was trying to land a hit on the woman.

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Naruto was currently trying to free himself from a snake at the moment.

…And yes, that was a weird sentence.

"GRAH!" Naruto yelled as he formed a mass amount of Kage Bunshin to make the snake explode.

Yeah, that was weird too…

"Now I just have to find Teme and Sakura-chan!

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-Sakura's POV

Ugh, we're not going to win unless I try something! But, that may not even be enough! I watched as Sasuke fought the strange woman. 'Dammit,' I thought, 'she swallowed the scroll too… Sasuke landed on the ground and I jumped to his side. The woman landed on the other side of the small clearing between the tall, winding trees. I glared at her through the corner of my eye as I surveyed Sasuke's wounds. Nothing major, only small cuts and bruises littered his pale skin. We glanced up to the woman. She was speaking, but I paid no heed… Hold on, she casting a…

"Sasuke! Don't look at her—!" I yelled, but it was too late. He was most likely seeing a vision of his own, gruesome death. He was shaking, and couldn't control his body from shock. I cursed as a snake rose from behind us. Picking up Sasuke, I jumped up to a branch, only to jump once more when the snake changed direction. Knowing that Sasuke would only be a burden if he was paralyzed, I quickly stabbed him in his thigh with a kunai from his pouch. (My weapons were all freshly coated with poisons.) Good, it jerked him awake. He glared at me slightly, but I paid no heed.

"Look, Sasuke, she's too powerful for us…" I tried to convince him, but his dumb assed pride kept getting in the way. The two exchanged blows, and the Grass girl was about to land a heavy blow on Sasuke, but Naruto chooses right now to pop out and save his ass.

"Ha! I saved you, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto boasted. Sasuke glared at him before returning his attention to the Grass kunoichi. And what happened next made me slightly vomit in my mouth. The kunoichi frickin' SHED her skin off to show a man whom I was taught to respect for his power.

Orochimaru.

Yes, not long after Haku found me and the two took me in, Zabuza drilled that Orochimaru was a man to respect. Of course, anyone in Konoha would behead me if I shared my views, but being a rouge myself (I'm only in Konoha for Haku-teishu), I still keep my respect. Now, oh my, it seems that I should jump in.

"Sasuke!" I yell, leaping to the branch he is standing on like an idiot. "Baka, MOVE!" Orochimaru is moving towards him to give him a cursed seal, can't he see that!? Oh no, I'm going to be too—!

"AUGH!" Sasuke yells as the snake bites into his neck. I glare angrily, and grab onto the pale man's elongated neck with both my arms.

"Bastard!" I yell, as I take out a senbon. It's very foolish to use this tactic when near a hunter nin. The neck is elongated, meaning the arteries and esophagus have all also elongated. Easy targets for a trained hunter. But he manages to move before I can slam my senbon into his neck. I check back on Sasuke by glancing at him. Seeing that he is fine (for the most part) I pursue Orochimaru. Jumping up, I jut one of my legs out to land on him when I meet the tree. My large sleeves billow out behind me, giving me an ethereal look if I had not adorned such an angry countenance and glare. If Orochimaru was as perverted as Jiraya, he would most likely be enjoying the view (another reason I wear such a short length kimono; it distracts men). He dodged, causing me to go into—through the thick branch. Not giving him time to remotely survey the damage I caused, I used the trunk to propel myself towards him. Flipping out two poisoned senbon in each hand, I start to close down toward the branch Orochimaru occupied. He smirks. Yelling out, I land and continuously slash at him. Dodging every hit I throw, he jumps back. Seeing my chance, I don't hesitate as I throw my senbon. He blocks it with his own kunai, still smirking. Deciding to bring out all my abilities as far as I could in the unfamiliar terrain, I disappear from sight. Using the darkness to my advantage, I dart behind the snake man, ready to strike. He turns around, and blocks me, catching my blows. I yell at him as I begin to cast a jutsu. Finishing the last seal, I call out the name of my jutsu.

-Normal POV

"Hisenbon no jutsu!" Sakura called out, crossing her arms in the pose of preparing to throw senbon. Ice senbon formed in her hands instantaneously, ready to be thrown. She sent four of the senbon sailing through the air, targeting the area around Orochimaru, forcing him to jump. As the senbon hit the tree bark, the senbon splattered , making a large patch of jagged ice sticking up from the branch. "Getting hit with these would cause serious wounds," Sakura said to no one as she sent two more senbon towards Orochimaru. Knowing he was too skilled to be hit by the basic jutsu, she planned to time the rest of her throws so he would be forced to hop all over the place, giving her enough time to prepare another jutsu. Launching the projectiles, Sakura wasted no time to speed through the handsigns necessary for the technique.

'What is she doing now?' Orochimaru thought as he jumped from branch to branch, missing the inhumanely quick senbon. 'This girl seems to have much more experience, and some sort of great power somewhere deep inside… From what I can tell, she wasn't meant to fight in the trees. So she's a foreign from Wave, if I'm not mistaken. It's far too bad she's a girl… Would she make a good disciple anyways?'

"Hatsugoori!" Sakura yelled out as she slammed her hands onto the bark of the branch she was occupying. Ice quickly spread out at an unnatural pace, covering anything it touched into freezing popsicles. 'Even though I'm using it in the trees, this jutsu is supposed to be used on flat land. That way, the ice gets a larger range and it's harder to escape it,' thought Sakura who was careful to swerve the ice away from her comrades. 'This will freeze anything it touches except for its caster or someone designated to the ice element.'

"My, my, what an interesting jutsu. It takes supreme control to master it," Orochimaru commented as he dodged the ice. "But there is one downside—the caster cannot move from his place or the ice will stop moving and lose some of its potency, right?"

"On the dot," Sakura muttered.

"Also, the desired range all depends on the person's skill and chakra, correct? Without the proper training and a vast amount of chakra, not to mention the need of an affinity to the ice element, the jutsu is useless to someone," Orochimaru commented once again, jumping away as the ice crawled towards him.

"In result, this particular jutsu is mostly unknown because its standards are normally too high for a regular shinobi," Sakura finished Orochimaru's comment, surprised he knew of Hatsugoori's entry in the scrolls. Then again, she also knew his goal in life was to master every jutsu known to man. It came with the ambition, she reasoned.

Orochimaru began to jump faster to make a retreat. "Keep in mind that Sasuke will start to seek me out for power, little girl." 'Yes, I should keep an eye on her.' He jumped away, leaving Sakura and the frozen landscape. Sakura 'tch'-ed at the action, but let it go. Now, her main concern was taking care of her teammates. Leaping down like any decent ninja, she decided to find Naruto and Sasuke first and then aid them. Searching for the two boys (Which wasn't very hard, since this was the thing she did for a living), finding them, and dragging them to a tree's roots were completed steps. The roots served as a shelter for the two as they rested.

"Sasuke has a fever and that curse mark while Naruto is out cold," Sakura dully noted to herself. Switching a sweating Sasuke's towel, she began to feel the affects of the prior fight take note of itself. Hatsugoori was indeed a technique that used up a lot of chakra (she was thankful she had of lot of energy) and stamina, she finalized to herself. Exhaustion creeped into her bones and muscles, trying to lure her into the darkness that ensured death in this forest. Nodding a few times, Sakura tried to keep herself awake by reciting the most common rules for hunter nin. "Never leave traces of your objective; stay in the shadows and be the stealthy snake waiting patiently for its prey…Don't drop your guard in enemy territory…" Her voice was loosing the sense of awake, adding more exhaustion to her already tired façade. 'If things keep going like this I'll be forced to cut myself for adrenaline…' she muttered mutely in her mind as sleep started to grab her and pull her into the deep abyss that was unconsciousness.

"What a pathetic kunoichi," a female called out from the edge of the clearing, jarring Sakura awake. "Can't even stay awake to protect her friends." Sakura childishly rubbed her eyes. After her vision cleared, she saw the three previously missing sound ninja. Sakura got up, patting her legs to remove the dirt.

"Girl, what are you doing?" the boy with the hairstyle similar to Kakashi's (she noted that dully, already feeling hate towards the boy) asked, annoyed. "Does she not think of us as a threat?"

"Precisely," Sakura announced, projecting her voice to reach them. "You three are no threat to me."

"Hah!" the boy laughed at Sakura. "Hey, Dosu, let me finish her off."

The boy with the furry back spoke, "fine Zaku, as long as you kill the Uchiha too." Zaku smirked, and prepared himself to attack Sakura.

"Look," Sakura said, "let's try to compromise. Give me your scroll and I'll let you live for another day of your pitiful lives." Zaku sent her an angry look before sending a blast of air towards her. Sakura held her ground as she assessed her enemy. 'They're sound shinobi, so they must obviously deal with vibrations, and air… Ice will come in handy… Water should be avoided.'

"Come on, attack!" Zaku taunted. "Or are you just too weak?" Sakura 'tch'-ed at the boy, and began to perform handseals.

'Sound must not be very good teachers…' Sakura thought before she finished the long line of handseals.

'So many handseals—it must be a complicated jutsu,' Dosu commented in his mind, wary of Sakura. 'Should we be careful?'

"Hyougen no Kisei no Jutsu!" Sakura called out as ice covered the ground, creating a makeshift ice rink. While the sound ninja focused on staying up, Sakura prepared to use Hisenbon no Jutsu. Throwing the ice senbon, the enemy nin barely had any time to dodge before the senbon hit the ground and exploded into a flower-like formation. Zaku called out an incoherent name of a jutsu while great amounts of air blew towards Sakura. She bent backwards to catch the fishing bobber like projectiles before they could fly into the wind with the rest of her hair accessories. She had all the time in the world—the sound shinobi were focusing on standing and she was far above their level—so Sakura decided to tie the band into a small bow on the back of her head. 'For safe keeping.' Hearing Sasuke faintly pant, she decided to make quick work of these shinobi. Skating towards them at an impossible speed (What could she do? Her profession required speed and she was ironically faster that Haku) Sakura sent two senbon sailing towards Zaku's arms. The proof that they hit him was his pained scream.

"Augh!" The senbon had imbedded themselves deeply into his shoulder blades.

"You won't be using those for awhile," Sakura informed. She shifted to begin skating once more, but Dosu halted her.

"Wait, I'll give you the scroll—just let us go in peace. But the next time we fight, we won't back down." Dosu put down the scroll and slid it over the ice.

"By the way," Sakura began to catch their attention. "Don't feel too bad about loosing—hunter nin were made to search and destroy." Dosu's eyes widened as he caught the message, and ushered his female teammate to hurry up as he hauled Zaku. Sakura skated over to her teammates to ensure their safety before deciding to lie on the cold ice.

In the bushes, Team InoShikaChou decided now would be an ideal time to leave.

'So that was just a small portion of her power,' Ino thought as she moved away with her team. She was horrible scared that one pink haired girl could do that while exhausted. 'Not even a Chuunin could stay awake after that…'

'Such a troublesome girl,' Shikamaru groaned in his mind. 'But she may be a wonderful shoji player.' Chouji chose not to think anything, but focused more on getting through the forest and getting food.

Back the ice, Sakura felt the need for rest slowly wrap around her. Ice element attacks were complicated, and required a great amount of chakra when not in a cold place; another reason she hated Konoha. Out of her peripheral vision, she barely saw Lee jump into the ice laden area before she fell into a desired sleep.

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The sounds of running flooded the darkness.

"Hiki-nee-chan, what does it mean to be a 'ninja'?" a small voice asked.

The sounds of panting were heard in the inky blackness. "Why such an odd question right now?"

"…"

"Being a ninja," pant, "means to protect those," pant, "you hold dear for as long as you can," pant, "and to ensure the peace of your country!"

"Oh…"

"Geez, why do you sound so depressed Tsuyuki-chan?" There was a skidding sound before all was silent with the exception of panting.

"…Does being a ninja mean you'll have to die one day?"

"…Everyone dies one day Tsuyuki-chan…"

"…"

"…Hold on tight."

"Hai, Hiki-nee-chan, Tsuyuki will hold on tight." The silence resumed.

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'What was that?' Sakura thought as she slowly began to regain consciousness. 'I couldn't see anything. That Tsuyuki girl also sounded depressed for some reason…' She decided to stop thinking about it. Sakura groaned as voices hushed. Her head had a slight headache, and her chakra reserves were still slightly empty.

"Shush!" Tenten berated the boys. Sakura opened her eyes only to stare into chocolate orbs she knew belonged to the female brunette. "Ohayo," said brunette chirped, leaning back up, giving Sakura access to the sight of the rest. She sat up to see everyone digging a kunai into the ground to stay stationary on the ice covered area.

'What happened again?' she asked herself. A light bulb went off. "Oh, yes, Sound…"

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, what happened to your hair?" Naruto asked as he eyed the great length of pink.

"Oh, my bun cover came off…" Sakura replied as she tugged a strand. She stood up, revealing to those who had not seen her actual hair length (those other than Neji…). They stared in awe at the massive waterfall of carnation that dipped down to her knees.

"Sakura, what happened here exactly?" Sasuke asked, grasping his shoulder. Sakura glanced at him slightly before turning back at her handiwork.

"Some Sound nin came and threatened to kill you and Naruto, so I naturally had to protect you," she began to skate around, showing what she could do and the leaf shinobi could not, "and I practically scared them off. Ice was really the only good element for the job," Sakura informed as she finished her figure 8. "Nothing hard for me." Skidding to a stop in front of Lee—and sending a great amount of excess powder onto him—she began to thank Tenten. "Arigatou, Tenten-san." The girl waved it off.

"No problem, besides, I hear from Neji that you're a weapon fan…" Tenten slyly said

"Hai, I prefer swords and senbon though," Sakura informed the girl, ready to get into a discussion about sharp and pointy things.

"Excuse me girls, but now that we've been ensured that Sakura is fine," Neji said as he sent a quick glare towards Lee, "I think we should head towards the tower." Tenten sighed disheartedly as she waved goodbye to Sakura. Sakura waved back politely before she moved to reunite with her teammates. Casually sliding over the ice, she tried not to laugh at their stupidity. While she was sure the other three got the idea of how easy it was for her to ice skate, her teammates were hopeless cases sliding around on an unfamiliar element.

"This is how I feel all the time in Konoha," Sakura remarked. "Out of my element; how does it feel?"

"Sakura-chan, how do you skate so well?!" Naruto shouted out as he tried to stand upright. Feeling playful, Sakura swerved and skated circles around him.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe something you learnt when you first met me, ne?" Sakura hoped that she didn't burn out Naruto's brain by giving him the riddle. Like she guessed, Sasuke got it immediately and to copy her movements of skating around the blonde. Naruto was getting very frustrated. Deciding to help the poor blonde before he gave himself a brain malfunction, she held her hands up into the handsign Team 7 had used when they climbed the trees. Naruto literally lit up with knowledge as he copied Sakura's movements.

"Oh, I get it Sakura-chan!" he announced as he focused chakra to his feet, which oddly seemed harder than normal. He started to skate when he got a feel of the ice, only slipping around a few times. The three slid toward the other side of the clearing to go to the tower. Sakura, figuring that it would be quicker to travel using ice while the other two traveled by trees, shot out small balls of ice to further the path of frozen ground.

"Can we hurry?" Sakura yelled up from the ground. "I'd like to sit down in the shade soon." Naruto agreed, while Sasuke grunted. They sped up, quickly closing in on the Tower. They reached the large structure, looking up at its height. The trio entered a room with writing on a wall. While the other two read the text, Sakura felt an odd sensation from her arm. Taking out the scroll she had concealed in her sleeve, she threw it out with the other scroll she hid… somewhere else. Some teacher from the Academy popped out that knew Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura realized.

"Oh, where's Sai-kun?" Iruka asked; looking around for his other student until her came upon Sakura in a pose that you would classify under 'Sasuke'. "Who's this girl?"

"Sai-teme went somewhere, and Sakura-chan's our new teammate!" Naruto informed, attempting to ring his arm around Sakura's neck.

Sakura nimbly avoided.

Naruto whined.

Iruka sweatdropped.

Sasuke brooded.

And Itachi danced the Popotan Dance for Caramelldansen with Orochimaru who was in a flamenco dress.

Okay, no, that last part didn't happen.

"I'm leaving now—do your… speech thing sensei-san." Sakura announced walking to the door that led to the arena they would have to wait in for the next announcement. Leaving the two boys, Sakura entered the large room. She immediately recognized the Sand Siblings and Team Gai. She also recognized Shino and Hinata, but all the other gennin were unnamed for the moment.

"Sakura-san!" Tenten called out, waving. Sakura lazily walked back before she walked under the ledge of the spectator's level. She leant against the wall and creeped most of the present ninja with her glowing eyes. It had only been few minutes before Sasuke and Naruto walked in and the Hokage entered with two assistants—Anko and a sickly looking brunette. Sakura twitched and stiffly strode towards her place in the line.

"Congratulations on passing the second part of the Chuunin Exams!" The Hokage announced, smiling at the present ninja. Before he could continue, the sickly looking brunette coughed to intrude in the speech.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama," cough, "I would like to make an," cough, cough, "announcement before you proceed."

"Of course, Hayate. Feel free to make your announcement," Sarutobi kindly replied, stepping back.

"Alright, because we have so many passing teams this year," cough, wheeze, cough, "we will hold a… preliminary round right now to decrease the number of gennin. You can give up now if you feel that," cough, "you're not in any condition to fight. Also, your decisions no longer affect your teammates." Kabuto's hand rose up immediately.

"I'm in no state to fight—I'm beaten and worn. I give up." Kabuto began to walk out of the room after Hayate checked off a name on his clipboard.

"Alright, if no one else is leaving, please go up to the stands and wait for your name to be called out." Everyone did as Hayate requested, and joined their respective senseis.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out to his teacher. "We made it!" Kakashi smiled and rubbed Naruto's head. Meanwhile, Sakura eavesdropped on other's conversations. By the time Naruto and Kakashi were done talking, she had learnt all of the gennin's names. "Oh, Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru! Hey!" Naruto called out, waving. The three came over.

"Hay Naruto. How's it been going so far?" Chouji asked, munching happily on some chips.

"We've been good! Ya know, I really hope I get to battle soon! Dattebayo!" Naruto responded, fisting his hands in determination.

"I personally wouldn't want to fight against Sakura with her mission numbers…" Ino muttered lowly, but loud enough for Sakura's keen ears to pick up. Leaning in between Naruto and Ino, she questioned them.

"How did you find that out?" she asked, shifting her eyes side to side between the two blondes.

"Kabuto told us," Ino answered, sweating slightly from the pinkette's intense stare.

"Really…" Sakura whispered. Naruto nodded with a smile.

"He told us a lot of things other than that too! Like you had a case of amnesia and you were found in Mist!" informed Naruto, wearing a smile Sakura began to slowly loathe.

"How could he know that?" she asked herself. "That information is to only be discussed with Gato, but he's dead now, and since we were classified as criminals people wouldn't normally just write this stuff down in any normal case… Plus, this is the first time I'm actually anywhere_ near_ Konoha, let alone _in_ it…" Sakura furrowed her brows in deep thought. 'This, 'Kabuto', will have to be put on surveillance soon… That is no information a gennin from Konoha could obtain easily! If it was anyone, the closest they could get to 'information' is _'Gato has many different forces and assassination squads, one being led by Momochi Zabuza and his two subordinates.'_ This is he be related to Orochimaru?!' Sakura questioned in shock. If Orochimaru was any further involved in this…!

"Ahem, let me explain how the matches will work. This screen," Hayate pressed a button to make a large screen appear, "will randomly choose two names. Those two will fight in this arena. The first gennin who is unable to continue to fight will lose and the winner will precede to the last stage of the Chuunin Exams." Hayate had a small coughing fit after announcing the terms. He clicked a button and the list of names cycled through the screen.

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(I'm skipping the other fights because 1: I can't remember them and 2: they're boring and why would someone read that boring shit when they could read Sakura kicking ass?)

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Sakura sighed as she quickly evaluated what had happened prior. Sasuke was taken away by Kakashi to most likely have the cursed seal sealed away. She silently watched the names cycle through before they stopped on two names.

"Sakura and Yamanaka Ino! Please come down to the arena!" announced Hayate. Sakura immediately jumped down, while Ino broke out into a cold sweat. Her teammates stared at the board, still in shock. The other gennin (who were there to listen to Kabuto's information on Sakura) looked on in pity for the female blonde. Ino stiffly jumped down, staring right into Sakura's bored orbs.

"Alright Sakura-chan! You can do it!" Naruto cheered, waving around his arm.

"Naruto, Sakura won't… kill Ino, will she?" Shikamaru asked slowly, afraid for his teammate.

"No, no she wouldn't," a voice came from behind them. The blonde and brunette turned to see Haku's smiling, feminine face. He turned to stare at Sakura before continuing his answer. "Sakura only kills when she either is ordered to, or she has to. She would never kill those weaker than her without reason. She may not look it, but she has an odd, yet strong sense of chivalry and honor. I think it may be from her childhood that she cannot remember, but maybe it's just something she picked up somewhere naturally," Haku answered with his eyes softening at his long time companion and dedicated follower. "I'm here to watch her."

"Honto ni?" Shikamaru asked, feeling an odd sense of respect for the pink haired stranger.

"Hai," Haku responded.

"Are you two ready?" Hayate asked, shifting his eyes to and fro from each battler. The two girls nodded, one more scared than the other. "Alright then…" he coughed, "Begin!" Hayate stepped back as the two girls stood there, unmoving. Ino shook slightly.

'If I don't pass this, I'll be in a different league than Sasuke!' Ino thought in her mind to give her inspiration. Looking up with a determined scowl, Ino sent three kunai sailing towards Sakura. The hunter simply stepped side to side so the kunai would just sail past her. Growling, Ino ran forward to Sakura, ready to begin a combination of strikes. Each throw Ino threw, Sakura would simply move to the left or right to just barely miss the fist. Up in the stands, Gai praised the young girl.

"She has great defenses, and is quick on her feet. She's almost like a hunter," Gai commented. "She could be nearly as fast as Lee…"

"Actually," Neji began, catching the attention of his teammates and mentor, "she was an actual hunter in Mist, teamed up with Momochi Zabuza, and the feminine brunette by Naruto, named Haku. They worked for him, I guess." Gai pondered this, interested in the lean kunoichi.

"It would be interesting to train with her… Yosh! Neji, next time you see her, invite Sakura-san over for a training date with us!" Gai proclaimed, posing. Lee clapped, agreeing with his sensei. Neji sighed at his team's stupidity, while Tenten thought of all the nifty weapons Hunters could use. Down back at the arena, Ino was still missing Sakura, who was slowly growing bored.

"How boring! Don't you have any other skills than throwing missing punches?" Sakura taunted. Ino fumed as she jumped away.

"You just wait!" Ino called out, clutching her fists.

"Wait for what? You look like you spend more time on your wardrobe than your ninja life!" Sakura taunted further, waiting for the blonde to mess up. Ino screeched, and took out a kunai.

"I don't need this!" Ino yelled out, cutting the great length of gold from her head. In a stupor of anger, she threw her shining locks at Sakura, who stood there smirking. Glaring, Ino began to form the necessary handsigns for her clan's Shinteshin no Jutsu. Sakura smirked, knowing the basic information about this particular technique. Ino yelled out, "Shinteshin no Jutsu!" before she slumped, seemingly unconscious. Sakura halted also.

"I'm afraid you didn't make it, Ino," Sakura said, smirking. When she tried to move, she was shocked to see a chakra thread made from hair attached to her ankle. "I can't move!" It was Ino's turn to smirk as Sakura futilely tried to free herself.

"That was a good move," Haku complimented. "Sakura's attacks all depend on her movement. If she can't move, most of her simpler jutsu are out, leaving only the complex, too powerful and chakra consuming ones left. Now, the only question is if Ino-san can continue with another good choice of attack." Naruto stared at the shifting Sakura, while Shikamaru silently praised Ino.

"Are you ready?" Ino asked tauntingly, preparing to use Shinteshin once more. Aiming directly at Sakura, she pronounced each syllable proudly. "Shinteshin no Jutsu!" Ino's body slumped as her soul projected itself towards the immobilized pinkette. Sakura's body also slumped, leaving the arena silent.

"Isn't that too bad…" Sakura began to say.

'Oh no, Ino messed up!' Shikamaru complained in his mind.

"…Sakura," Ino/Sakura finished, causing Shikamaru to stop his ranting and focus once more on the battle. Ino/Sakura smirked as she slowly raised her hand. "I, Sakura, hereby…"

"Wait!" Naruto yelled out. "Sakura-chan, don't let that pig beat you! You're way stronger than her! And what about Haku!?"

"Tch, what a loud brat…" Ino/Sakura muttered.

_Naruto…_

"What was that?" Ino/Sakura asked, looking around. She furrowed her eyebrows.

_You're right… You're not going to…_

"Is that Sakura's voice?! But where is it…?" Ino/Sakura questioned herself. The watchers wondered what was going on.

_You're not going to CONTROL ME!_

Ino/Sakura screamed before she crumpled into a kneeling position onto the ground. Her arms were hanging by her sides, while her eyes stared out into nothing. Haku ran up to the bars and gripped them as he watched the hunter's unresponsive body.

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"Where am I?" Ino asked herself. She was in inky darkness. Slowly, the darkness receded, letting Ino see Sakura's mindscape—a hyouden. The snow covered ground glistened in the moonlight. Ino walked on, surveying the beautifully frozen trees and the frozen ice flowers. Snow fell lightly as she plowed on. "What is this place?" Ino wondered aloud as she stared at the ground. Oddly enough, she was not cold. She had to blink her eyes when she saw footprints in front of her, but they were darkened by something. It appeared… reddish. "Is that blood!?" Ino asked as she followed the prints at a quicker speed. Soon, she wasn't following just bloody prints, but a stream of blood that imitated a red ribbon. Ino continued her torturing task of following the ribbon of blood. Soon, she came upon a huddled figure leaning over a large figure. The ribbon led to the large figure on the ground, which was surrounded by red. The little pink haired child was covered in blood from her face to her kimono to her socks.

"Who's there?" the child asked. Ino could only see the child's mouth move since her hair hid her face. Leaning back down, the little girl stared at the unmoving figure on the ground. "Hiki-nee-chan won't move or smile anymore… She's even colder than I am…"

"Hey, who are you?" Ino asked. "Where am I?"

"Tsuyuki wants to see Hiki-nee-chan's smiled again…"

"Hey, kid, answer my damn question! Where am I!?" Ino yelled, getting frustrated. She tried to step forward, but she found her movements were restrained, causing her to only pull her leg. She looked down, only to see blood wrap up and around her legs, dragging her down, down, down into the bloodied snow. Ino screamed, and before she was completely dragged down, she looked up, now able to see the little girl's face towards her. She gasped from the similarities she saw.

Pale skin.

Rosy cheeks.

Snowy eyes.

Long, dark eyelashes.

A blood splattered face consumed in angst.

Darkness ensnared her sight. She saw a light, and realized it took the form of a large white wolf with icy blue eyes. It bared its sharp fangs as it laughed maliciously in a deep, mature and sadistic female voice, opening its mouth as if it was going to eat her. Ino found herself falling towards the large wolf, screaming. Before she entered the wolf's mouth, she saw the little girl atop its nose, standing, looking down, down, down at her with blank moonlit eyes. She whispered softly, but Ino found herself able to hear the girl's chilling words.

"Please scream to the point its funny."

And scream Ino did. On the outside, Sakura's body was screaming while a blue light evaporated from her torso that sped back towards Ino. Sakura stopped screaming, and instead her head hung towards the floor. Ino was now screaming, until it stopped as she looked upwards towards Sakura's limp body.

"What are you!?" she screamed, horrified of the images she had seen in such a surreal place. Sakura slowly looked up at her, revealing her slit pupils standing out from her white eyes. Sakura smiled wryly, her smile stretching in a sick, sadistic way. She did not answer the blonde, but chose to stand up and stalk towards her. A white swirl of chakra rotated around her, whipping her hair softly back and forth. Every time her feet touched the ground small ice patches would form. Haku gasped in shock.

"We have to stop her!" Haku commanded urgently, getting onto the rail. Asuma halted him with his words for a short moment.

"If you stop her, Ino will win."

"If I don't stop her Ino and other people here will die!" Haku retorted, leaping down. 'The last time this happened was when I had been knocked unconscious by our target! Sakura killed the entire force in an instant!'

"I-I forfeit!" Ino yelled out, turning towards Hayate as she backed up. "I give up! S-stop her!" Ino broke out into a heavy cold sweat, finally pressed against the wall. Sakura slowly advanced towards the girl in an insanely slow pace. Haku crashed into Sakura, landing on her and pinning her thrashing body to the ground.

"Stop it Sakura!" Haku commanded in an unfamiliar tone no one had heard him use before. It was deeper and more serious. Sakura still struggled, clouded by an unseen force. "I said **stop**!" Haku yelled out and he quickly stabbed the girl in her arm using a regular senbon. The pain shook her into a right state of mind, causing her to stop flailing. Her pupils stayed slit though for a few moments longer before they slowly dilated into the normal roundness they once held. Her eyes widened and her eyes shrunk as she gained consciousness of what had happened. She lifted herself up only to fall again because of the pain the senbon gave her. Wincing, she yanked it out. Pushing Haku off her Sakura ran over to Ino, only to be held back by Asuma.

"You're not doing anything to Ino," Asuma stated, looking down at her. Sakura guiltily stared downward, mouth in a small, guilty frown.

"I want to help her…" Sakura quietly muttered. After she did this, someone was always mentally scarred. By testing it out on enemies, she figured out a technique that could take away the feelings, but the images would stay. "Please…" she whispered it in a way that symbolized she was surrendering herself to Asuma and Ino. Asuma let her go.

"Is there something you need me to do?" Asuma asked quietly, glancing at the shaking girl.

"Just restrain her please," Sakura replied. Asuma nodded and told the trembling Ino some things to calm her down as he grabbed onto her arms to keep her down. Ino's eyes shrunk as she saw Sakura coming towards her with the countenance of the child in the kimono. She began to flail and squirm as Sakura descended her hands onto her face. Ino screamed. Sakura furrowed her brows as she concentrated on using her chakra to remove any emotion Ino had gained from that experience. Ino's screams quieted down to nothing. Sakura removed her hands and Ino fainted on the spot. Asuma sighed and turned to Sakura, only to see her passed out. Asuma picked up Ino while Haku took hold of Sakura.

"'Gomenasai', Sakura says," Haku told Asuma while he stared at the pinkette's sleeping face. "'Gomenasai.'" Asuma stared at Sakura for a moment before ascending up to the loft. Haku jumped up also. Asuma carefully set Ino down and Haku set Sakura lying down on her back with her head falling to the side. He carefully placed her great length of hair over her shoulder. Hayate made a sound.

"If it matters any, Sakura is the winner." No one could argue with the proctor, since Ino had forfeited and Sakura was more skilled than any of the gennin present.

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At last, I update. I'm really sorry for my lateness! A lot of things have been happening! TT-TT I made the chapter with an extra thousand words!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm really proud of the Mindscape scene. I think I got the creepy through.

Was the battle okay? If you have any suggestions for help on that subject, please share your help!

The comma whore is back baby with a VENGANCE.

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Nindo—a ninja way

-teishu—master

Baka—idiot, stupid

Hisenbon no Justu—Ice Senbon Technique; user create senbon made from ice that when makes contact with something will explode into a crystal formation

Hatsugoori—First Snow of the Season; user creates ice that can be controlled to head and freeze an enemy, preferred terrain is flat land, a very complicated and difficult technique that has high standards

Hyougen no Kisei no Justu—Ice Field of Death Technique

Ohayo—good morning

Arigatou—thank you

Hai—yes

Ne—right; hey

Sensei—teacher, instructor, mentor

Dattebayo—a rough translation is 'Believe it!'; Naruto's original catchphrase before America raped it.

Honto ni—really?

Shinteshin no Jutsu—Art of the Valentine; jutsu used by the Yamanaka clan to transfer their souls into another's body allowing control over that person

Hyouden—a field of eternal snow

Nee-chan—honorific for big sister

Gomenasai—I'm sorry

---NOTE!---

I know they got the second scroll from those Scavenger nin, but remember Sakura kept the scroll instead of Sasuke? Sasuke couldn't put down the scroll if he didn't have it in the first place.

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Please alert me of any mistakes I might've missed!

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Preview

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Getting through the Forest was unpleasant, and the Prelims were unbearable for Sakura. Will she be able to redeem herself in Ino's eyes? What was with the vision she had and the scene Ino experienced?

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Sakura has completed the first two sections of the Chuunin Exams. After her and Ino's little mix up, she has to focus on her new goal: find a sensei for her training month. Will it be enough to get stronger to pass and ensure her place with Haku-teishu? Or will Sound and Sand ruin it all?

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Sorry once again for the late update! Watch out for Chapter 5! I'll get working on it right away—I have the next week off.

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Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

Full Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and one Hunter Nin, but two Hunter Nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink…

Disclaimer: No own.

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Thanks so much you guys! All your reviews make me pumped to write another chapter faster!

REVIEW TIME!!!!

PS: The reason some of you ay not hear from me is because of this 'protection thing' called CA System and it really pisses me off… I can only go into a select few profiles that do not hold any 'datable' or 'adult' content. (Seriously—I find it so stupid! I go onto Neopets to RP, and it says it has DATING content. Seriously! You can't even write PUBERTY. AND God forbid you curse! Then you're suspended.)

xXHyuugaSakuraXx—Thank YOU!! I know—it pisses me off too. Happy Birthday! Oh, I'm born on the 3rd of February! WE'RE MONTH SISTERS!

emogurl1234—Thanks ducky! 8D

sara1965—Aha, I agree. X3 DON'T GIVE UP ON ME! Blame school…

pinky101—Thanks!

Sakura4eva—I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!! You're so nice to me:D You're one of my favorite readers. Blame the typos on quick typing and Word. Thanks so much—your reviews and messages make me so happy!!

XxSorenxX—HI!!!

Staring.out.my.floode.window--Lucky girl, aren't you? xD

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I believe I have found one of Sakura's possible theme songs! It's called Kibou no Kakera (Pieces of Hope). The translation really make me think of Sakura! Here's a 4-line sample of the lyrics:

Ima kanawanai koto no nai Yume dake wo yume mite yuku no Sugu ni todokisou na risou yori Motto zutto hoshii mono ga aru no

(Right now I'm dreaming a dream That can't not come true There's something I want much more Than ideals I can just reach out for)

Sound's like Sakura, right? Well, the full lyrics make more sense. I'm still searching for themes, so if you have any suggestions, tell me! I think I'll have just a list of songs that were made for Sakura…

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Alright! I'm going to explain what this chapter IS!

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This chapter will be extra length, and include these things:

Fun facts—random facts about Sakura that I know could never be brought into a conversation and I wanted you to know

And

Trivia—questions that I will ask you and give you multiple answers for! You have to choose an answer (A, B, C, D, or E (If it gets to that many)) and tell me your answer in a review! I will make a score board for how many points each person gets (a point is awarded for every correct answer)! Try to get the highest scores!

There MIGHT (-hinthintnudgenudge-) be little interferences by the characters too! (Just like commercials!!) Teehee!! This is a special chapter because I feel really sorry for making you guys wait for like, 1-2 months? –begs forgiveness-

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No correct dailouge:3

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Also, the amount of –'s shows how much time passed. So, if there is one of theme, a short amount passed. If there's three or four, a good amount has passed.

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Warnings: Cursing; the usual—none really

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Page Count: 34

Word Count: 12,024

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**Frost**

**Chapter 5**

**Finding Sensei**

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Sakura had woken to the sounds of the battles in the arena. Not that anyone knew—she kept her body to hold the illusion of sleep. During the time she had, Sakura realized Haku had left and Ino was awake. Remembering the horrible things she had put the blonde through, Sakura became guilty. Couldn't she control herself? Before, she had nothing to worry about when she went demonic, but now that she was 'part' of a village, she had to watch everything she did. Realization crept up and into her soul instantly. She could no longer do what she wanted, and she had to cap all her powers. Did this mean she could not be as useful as she could before when she and Haku were still free? Did being a murderer allow you a greater freedom?

Inwardly wincing, Sakura scolded herself, 'no more thoughts anymore about this, Sakura.' Leaning up, she silently ascended as to not alert the others of her awake. Now that her eyes were open, she could see everyone. She was right—Haku had left, and Ino was awake, and only slightly bruised and scratched. 'I have no right to join them,' Sakura thought, feeling segregated. Now that she was alone yet not, she had a chance to realize she was truly an outsider. Sakura reasoned that she just a sudden flash of pink and blue thrown into their world. She knew nothing of these people, nothing of their culture, and nothing about their dimension in general. '...When did I get so morbid?' Sakura wondered, slowly becoming annoyed with herself. Naruto chose then to turn around.

"Oh, Sakura-chan!" his annoying voice called out, telling everyone of her awakening.

"Ah, iia…" Sakura monotonously said, leaning against the wall. Naruto ran up to her, but she didn't care. Sakura was holding Ino's eyes which held a hidden sorrow under slight scorn. 'Sorrow… for what?'

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, daijoubu?!" bristled Naruto, shaking the poor girl to and fro.

"Aa, daijoubu desu," the being shaken girl replied. "Demo… the real question is if Ino-san is okay." Ino bristled slightly. "But she probably doesn't want to speak to me." A laugh for the dry humor.

"Fine," Ino grit out, not bothering to turn to the pinkette. Shikamaru carefully regarded Sakura with a piercing stare. Sakura looked downward and scooted off to the side, away from everyone.

"Ne, ne, Sakura-chan, Ino said it was really weird in your mind. It was a hyouden, and the farther she got the bloodier the snow became!" Naruto informed, making odd hand motions.

"Honto…" the hunter whispered.

"Un! Oh, she also said she saw a little girl and an older girl! The little one was named Tsuyuki and she kept calling the older one Hiki-nee-chan!" Naruto turned to Ino, "Ino, that Tsuyuki girl looked like Sakura-chan, right?"

"Hai, you couldn't miss it for the world," Ino replied, still staring at Tenten and Temari's match. "The little girl was like a mini version of Sakura."

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"Konnichiwa! Watashi wa Sakura!" A mini, chibi version of Sakura popped onto the screen.

"Watashi wa Haku!" A small chibi version of Haku jumped next to Sakura.

"Welcome to Triviact! Let's explain how this works…" Haku and Sakura announced, jabbing a finger into the screen.

Haku chose to begin. "We will spin the wheel seeing if we will either give you a question or a fact!"

"Depending on what you get will alter your prize!" Sakura finished, revealing a great wheel that resembled the 'Wheel of Fortune'.

"Leeet's spiiiin!" the two called out, grabbing the great big lever and pulling it, releasing the spinning mechanism. "Spinning and spinning wherever it goes, where it will stop, nobody knows!" the two sung as the wheel slowed to a stop. "And iiit's…!"

"Fact!" Sakura announced, holding up a big sign that read, 'FACT!'

"Let's see here…" Haku mumbled as he held a little box with index cards. "Okay!" Holding up the index card, he began to read off of it.

"Sakura cannot under any circumstances digest sugar!" Haku turned to Sakura, "Why?"

The pinkette giggled girlishly, "um, teehee… I still have to rebuild that building…" Haku stared at her for a second more before turning back to the screen.

"Well, that was odd… Sayonara!"

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"Really?" Naruto asked, interested in the small version of Sakura. Ino's head bobbed.

"Yeah. There was also a great big wolf…"

"Wolf?" Sakura asked. 'I can understand those Hiki and Tsuyuki girls, but a _wolf_? I've never had a dream about a wolf…'

"A big, horrifying, white one with scary ice blue eyes," Ino described lowly. "It was also a female. Its aura was like ice…" Naruto wondered where he had seen such a shade of ice blue before.

"I know I've seen a shade like that before," Naruto mumbled as he scratched his head. "Do you know anything about it Sakura-chan?"

Sakura pondered long and hard. "Iie. Not at all." 'I won't tell them about those girls… That is personal information.'

"…That's odd," Ino mumbled, trying to be compassionate. Shikamaru had explained to her after she had woken, Sakura had used a jutsu before to take the negative emotions from her. The only things left were the sights. She had to admit—because there were no emotions from the experience, Ino only had pity for the pinkette. She knew it couldn't be true (the Tsuyuki child seemed more… _alive_ in a way), but she had a guess Sakura could be related to one of the girls. The wolf was another thing entirely. Ino knew that from studying her clan's various information about the things you could see in a person's subconscious and what they meant. Which happened to be the reason she was quiet (if she wasn't thinking about these things she would've been trying to ensure Sakura it was alright, and that she should be worrying about herself and her insanity). In the short amount of time, Ino had hypothesized that the girls might've stood for some sort of great loss or pain, and the large wolf could either be 1: the cause of the pain, or 2: an evil entity Sakura was locking inside (like _insanity_). But, that didn't explain why Tsuyuki had been standing on the wolf. 'Could Tsuyuki be the container of the insanity while the wolf is the embodiment?' Ino had hoped not, because in all the scrolls she knew of, those types of situation ended up dangerously (like Itachi, for example). Did she notice everyone was talking to her? Nope.

"Ino? Ino? I-no?!" Shikamaru was waving his hand in front of Ino's spaced out face. "Earth to Ino!"

"Nani ka?" Ino asked, glancing slightly at Shikamaru. She caught a slight glimpse of Sakura's troubled face before the pinkette moved to hide herself using her hair.

"We needed to know something—was there anything else about the scenery or people you saw?" Shikamaru questioned, storing every bit of information he could. 'If I can get enough clues, I can figure out what's in Sakura's mind.'

Ino thought long and hard, before answering. "It was nighttime. Actually, I think I saw more than just one moon—one for every stage and an eclipsed moon too. But, in the hyouden, there was no full moon… I think! I was focusing on the blood, not sky." It was true—she had seen more than one moon. What she didn't tell him was that the first quarter stage of the moons seemed to glow with faint undertones of icy blue. 'I haven't heard of anything like that. Maybe there's something in the scrolls… But I still wonder where the full moon went… But I… I saw it somewhere!' A flash of the images when she was falling into the wolf's mouth came to mind. Ino's eyes widened as she focused on what was around the wolf. 'A large, traditional gate with the full moon hanging overhead!'

"Ino?" Shikamaru asked, wondering what his teammate's thoughts had occupied now. "Anything wrong?"

"I-iie Shikamaru!" Ino replied, holding up her hands. 'Should I tell him? Maybe I should—Shikamaru would like to know this.' "Shikamaru, it's just that I think I saw the missing moon over the wolf's head…" Ino caught a glimpse of Sakura moving as if she made a silent gasp.

"The winner is Sabaku no Temari!" Hayate called out from the weapon littered field. It was only then did Sakura notice that the arena cleaners had been hopeless as to remove the small ice patches.

'They'll probably go away once I do,' she reasoned, somehow knowing the ice was fed by her chakra. Now that everyone had fought, it was tie for the winners to assemble in the arena. Sakura watched sadly as everyone went down.

"Go," Ino said, looking down into the arena. "You won." Sakura stared at her with wide eyes that slowly contracted. Ino spared her a small smile, sending the silent message of, 'I forgive you.' Sakura's eyes filled with a new happiness Ino had never seen before the pinkette graced the blonde with a rare smile. It was small and insignificant for a regular person, but Ino strangely felt as if she had been graced by God. 'Why would that be?'

-

-

"Konnichiwa once more!" the chibi Sakura welcomed once again as she popped up from the bottom of the screen.

"Hn," a chibi Neji grunted, popping up also.

"Be friendlier dammit!" Sakura reprimanded as she noogied him. Neji remained emotionless, even though on the inside he was going INSANE.

'MY HAAAAIIIRR!!!! SOMEONE, SAVE IT!!!' Inner Neji cried chibi tears. "Konnichiwa," Neji greeted in a low, mature tone. Sakura glomped him and literally rubbed her cheek like a cat against his.

"AW, I WUV YOU NEJI-CHAN!!" Neji reddened, and pushed off the pinkette. Sakura stood up, and revealed the Wheel of Triviact. "Welcome back to Triviact! Let's spin some wheel!" The two grabbed the wheel's pull lever (Neji acted like he didn't mean to put his hands on Sakura's) and pulled.

They chorused together, "Spinning and spinning wherever it goes, where it will stop, nobody knows!" The wheel slowed to…

"Trivia!" Sakura announced, holding up a large poster with 'TRIVIA!' on it. Neji, taking the box Chibi Haku had held before, started to sift through the index cards.

"Hmm…" Clearing his throat, Neji read the card in a monotone voice. "What is Sakura's (Frost) birthday?

A: March 28

B: November 11

C: December 21

D: February 3

Or,

E: April 16."

"Gambattene!" Sakura yelled out, waving.

-

-

Sakura jumped down and joined her place beside the only person she was comfortable to be near at the moment—Hyuuga Neji. He didn't seem to be disgusted by her presence and he didn't seem to hate her.

"That was odd, Sakura-san," Neji spoke, not bothering to stare at her with white eyes. He didn't need to see her rejected face.

"Hai… Hai, it was, Neji-san," Sakura muttered, guiltily looking to her right.

"Perhaps you should focus on learning control?" Neji offered, glancing at her. He knew that if she was a lesser woman, she would be tearing.

"Maybe."

"Congratulations!" The Hokage walked up before the winners. "You have all made it to the last part of the Chuunin Exams! I will inform you know that we will give you a one month period to train further and investigate your opponents." He cleared his voice. "I will announce the matches now!"

"The first match will be Hyuuga Neji and Uzumaki Naruto! The second match will be Sabaku no Temari and Nara Shikamaru! The third match will be Kinimura Dosu and Sakura!" Dosu's eyes widened, remembering the pinkette's fierce fighting style and power.

'I'll be killed…'

Sakura paid no heed to the other matches. 'Oh, I already fought him… It'll be easy then… Now I think that's kind of dumb…' Sakura wondered why the Hokage would put such a weak opponent against her. 'Maybe it's a mistake?' Sakura was jarred out of her thoughts as Naruto nudged her to begin leaving.

"Come on Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, wondering if he should start to drag the girl. Sakura jerked back her hand, afraid she would contaminate the 'Konoha'-iness of the blonde. She was an outsider after all.

"Arigatou," Sakura muttered. Naruto stared at the girl in concern; since she had had that incident with Ino, she didn't say things with as much power. But, Ino had forgiven her, right? What was she depressed about now? "Excuse me—I have to find Haku-teishu." The hunter left in a hurry, disappearing without a trace.

-

"Haku-teishu? Are you there?" Sakura called into the house.

"Hai, Sakura-chan?" Haku asked, popping out from a doorway.

"Eto…" Sakura mumbled incoherently, playing with her fingers. She moved off into a dark corner, not wanting to be seen by Haku. "Gomenasai!" she shouted, falling to the floor in a bow. "I lost it and almost killed Ino-san! You even had to restrain me! You had to taint your pure hands with my demonic presence…" she muttered the lat part, so Haku could not hear. Haku's eyes had grown when he began her small speech, but were slowly contracting into a kind gaze directed at the girl. Haku smiled softly and crouched near his follower.

"Sakura-chan, I'm not mad at you… It's not your fault—Ino-san must've triggered something that set you off is all…" the brunette comforted, rubbing small circles into the pinkette's back. Sakura had not yet risen from her place, making her hair cover the area around her in a spray of pink.

"Demo…!"

"But nothing!" Haku retorted, stopping his circles. "It's not your fault!" Sakura immediately tensed, noticing the angered tone Haku had taken.

'I angered him!' she thought with disgust. 'What kind of follower am I?! I should just… disappear for the moment. I still have to find a teacher…' Haku must've noticed that lack of response from the girl.

"Gomen," Haku whispered in his boyish tone. "I'll give you your space…" He began to pull away but Sakura kept him from moving by grabbing his wrist.

"Iie. Haku-teishu, none of it is your fault." Sakura was getting up, but facing away from her master. "I have to find a sensei for the month… So, I won't be around as much, okay?" Sakura was starting to leave the room, and go into the hallways.

"Ah—!" Haku started, but was unable to finish his sentence. Haku looked downcast, and sat on one of the traditional cushions by a table. He folded his hands on the table and played with his thumbs. 'Sakura-chan must be so depressed… Actually, she sounded really… alone. Yeah, alone.' Haku gazed up to the ceiling. 'Why would she be feeling alone? It's not like she doesn't know…' Haku gasped slightly as he remembered something. 'Sakura-chan told me about not having great people skills like I do and she was a little envious… Does she feel like she has no one to go to? I didn't realize it earlier! She must feel segregated—being all alone in an unfamiliar place with odd people… She doesn't like people in general either… No wonder she's depressed… But she needs to be alone for now.' Haku sighed, and dropped onto his back. "Oh Sakura-chan… What am I to do with you?"

-

-

"Ugh," Sakura popped on screen once again, but this time with an annoyed face. "Welcome back to Triviact."

"Hello!" A chibi Kakashi popped in with his orange book.

"Damned asshole," Sakura muttered. "Anyways, let's spin that damn wheel." She spun the wheel, but didn't bother to join in with Kakashi in song.

"It's…!!"

"Trivia…" Sakura announced dejectedly, holding up the Trivia sign. "Why did Chocolat-sama do this to me? I mean, I'm a writable character, right?"

**NO.**

"Who the hell was that?" Kakashi asked, looking up into the sky.

**YOUR MOTHER.**

"Don't you dare bring my mommy into this!" Kakashi whined. Sakura sighed, and decided to take Kakashi's responsibility as her own.

"A, ta, ta, ta… Here we are. Er…" Sakura read the card. "What is the name of the wakizashi Sakura keeps on her arm?

A: Reiketsu

B: Reiki

C: Umi

D: Tsurara

Or,

E: Kagehito."

"YOU BITCH!!" Kakashi yelled up to the sky.

**YOUR MOM.**

"Yeah…" Sakura muttered, utterly embarrassed. "Good luck with that."

-

-

"Who should I look for?" Sakura muttered, pondering her choices. "There aren't many people I can look for… I don't think it's possible to go outside the village either… Gah! Did the Hokage do this to spite me?" Sakura sighed, and flopped onto her bed. "I wonder if Neji-san knows anyone." Sakura turned onto her side, suddenly feeling sleepy. Her eyes slowly dipped closed, and her breathing evened. Her last coherent thought was, 'I hope I don't have another one of those damned dreams.'

-

-

-

Sakura awoke to not find herself in her room, but in a place that could've been what Ino saw—the inner hyouden of the pinkette's mind.

"Where in the world?" Sakura muttered. Spinning around slowly in a paranoid way, Sakura took in the scenery. Unlike Ino, Sakura had no destination to go to while in her mindscape, and she was taking in everything. The sky was painted a brilliant black that faded into a dark navy at the ends. Stars littered the sky, and Sakura saw the many moons Ino had described. There was no full moon among them, and Sakura also noticed that the first quarter moon was tinted blue. "Odd." The entire ground was covered in snow, and Ino wasn't kidding—the trees and flowers were literally encased in clear, crystal like ice.

"It's too surreal for such a person," she had heard Ino mumble, and now that she saw it with her own moonlit eyes, she agreed. There seemed to be a constant snowfall. Walking blindly in the great space, she noticed that she could barely see the outlines of black gates that were styled in a way that you would see at a shrine. Sakura spotted one gate that attracted her attention. It had a crescent moon pointing upwards with a crystalline jewel in the large dip. As if controlled, Sakura found herself walking towards the magnificent gate. As she neared, she saw—

-

-

"BASTARD!!!" Chibi Sakura yelled as she pounded Kakashi's head. Neji and Haku stood back, watching the pinkette maul the jounin.

"What happened?" Haku asked, not taking his eyes off of the two.

"…I don't know," Neji said, trying to resist smiling. The corners of his opened mouth were twitching.

"YOU LITTLE MOTHER—!"

**SHUT UP DOWN THERE SO I CAN DAMN CONCENTRATE ON THE FUCKING DESCRIPTION DIP SHITS!!**

Everyone stared up into the sky, where the mysterious voice had come from.

-

-

—saw two large black ice pillars which edges were formed in a way that would resemble a natural-growing mineral. The pillars themselves probably reached as high as the gate, which itself reached higher than any tree in the hyouden. Black chains were wrapped around the ice pillars with large pad locks adorning the front. The locks were carefully designed, Sakura had dully noted before her feet pulled her into the gateway. Cold air blasted her face, sending her free hair back. Her body did not stop though, and continued to lead Sakura into the inky darkness beyond the gate. Sakura missed a shadow appear behind her as she entered the gate. The shadow stepped back allowing the moonlight to reveal herself. Long pink hair reached the floor and gently fell over a bloodied kimono while large, moonlit eyes watched the older version of herself move. The young girl turned away silently, and creeped back to her own gate.

-

"It's really dark in here," Sakura muttered as her feet worked on their own. For around five minutes she had passed by countless crystal formations and ice pillars and gone through dark, shadowy mist. She slowed to a stop before a great structure made of ice in the form of iron bars. Sakura stepped back a moment, realizing the ice bars were stuck together as a cage. One seal was stuck in the middle of these gates, reading the kanji for, 'seal'. Two blue paper lanterns were in the corner, giving more light than the glowing blue ice crystals scattered along the floor could produce. "What is this…?" Sakura gasped as she heard a deep, feminine chuckle from behind the gates.

"Hello, Hi-chan," the deep voice welcomed.

"Anata wa…?" Sakura asked, gazing into the blackness.

"Ah, my name is of no importance for now…" the great voice chuckled. "Ma, Hi-chan, how have you been?"

"Fine…" Sakura cautiously said, now eyeing the shadows.

"You need a teacher for the upcoming Chuunin Exams, no?"

"How did you…"

The great voice chuckled once more, "now, now, I'm merely helping you. Look for a woman named Setsugekka Miyuki."

"Setsugekka… Miyuki?" Sakura echoed, trying out every syllable.

"Hai, Setsugekka Miyuki is the woman you need to find. In fact, I have a hunch she'll be visiting Konoha tomorrow…" the voice deviously informed. Sakura could hear the smirk on the voice's face.

"Where in the world am I?" Sakura asked; storing away the information the voice had given her. The voice gave a hearty laugh before calming down.

"Let's ask those questions once we meet again Hi-chan…" it mysteriously commented.

"What?" Sakura asked, not able to finish her entire question, for she had disappeared. The voice laughed, and an icy blue eye appeared with a slit pupil.

"Soon, Hi-chan, you'll see me and get all the answers you desire… Isn't that right, Tsuyuki-chan?" the voice questioned. The small girl came from the shadows, still holding the blank look she had kept from Ino's incident.

"Hai. The time draws near," the little girl whispered. The great voice bellowed in laughter, apparently gleeful of something that was to come.

"There are only two more steps until I will be revealed to Hi-chan. Let us see what she does then…"

"…" The little girl said nothing, only choosing to disappear once more into the shadows.

-

-

-

Sakura jumped out of her bed, breathing heavily.

"What the hell?" she muttered, staring at her hands. Calming herself, Sakura gazed up into the dark night that was slowly turning to dawn. Staring back down at her pendent, she muttered the name the voice had told her. "Setsugekka Miyuki… ka?" She fell back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling like Haku had done previously. "What am I going to do with myself?"

-

-

"Sakura-chan! Ohayo!" Haku cheerfully yelled through the girl's doorway (HOW DID HE FIND HER ROOM?! O.O). The pinkette groaned before she rolled over to face her master. Her eyes were half lidded, and she tried to act as civil as she could in the morning… She wasn't a morning person, per say.

"Ohayo…" she mumbled out, trying to pull herself out of bed. Groggily, she stumbled through the halls, following Haku.

"I made pancakes!" Haku delightfully announced, clapping. Sakura was polite enough to not show her flinch.

'Oh fuck…' she thought. 'How do I get myself out of this?' Racking her brain for any excuse that could be plausible, she furrowed her eyebrows. "Ano, Haku-teishu! I, um, need to… go find a… go find my… teacher! Yes! I need to find my teacher!" Mentally patting her back, she watched Haku turn around. But, unfortunately for her, Haku had puppy eyes.

"Really?" Haku asked, sniffing.

"Ah…" Sakura lamely put her hands up. "I'll, uh, take some to go, okay…?"

"Okay!" Haku cheered up, and Sakura noticed that the rain cloud that had sometime formed over Haku's brown head disappeared. Haku skipped towards the kitchen to leave Sakura to follow behind miserably.

'What a way to start the day,' the pinkette thought, shoulders dropping in misery. As she reached the door, Haku came out from the kitchen carrying a bento wrapped in a blue cloth.

"Here you are!" he called, handing the girl the bento. Sakura accepted with a forced smile, remembering why _she _was the one who cooked.

"Arigatou Haku-teishu, I'm sure I'll savor it…" 'Okay, I must wake up before Haku-teishu to make breakfast every day.'

"Yatta!" Haku yelled, jumping up and down. 'I hope I'm making her feel better; she was so gloomy yesterday!' Sakura backed away slowly, went through the doorway, and closed the door behind her.

"Thank god," she sighed, walking to the main part of Konoha. Actually, she spent most of the day walking. For hours Sakura had kept herself in the shadows, surveying all the people around her for anyone that could look like a 'Setsugekka Miyuki'. Sighing, she had no luck. Whimpering slightly, she realized how sweaty she had gotten. From nowhere, she got an urge to take a bath in the hot springs. 'Where did that come from?' she asked herself as she searched for the hot springs. 'Better yet; how did I know they had hot springs?' Sakura could've sworn she had heard something in the back of her mind, but ignored it. After a good fifteen minutes of searching she found the place. The bath houses were separated for each gender. Sighing happily at the thought of a nice bath, she entered the woman's dressing room to undress and get a towel.

-

-

"Bonjour!" Sakura yelled, popping once more into the screen.

"Welcome back to Triviact," Chibi Kimimaro monotonously greeted, popping up next to Sakura.

"Kimimaro? How the hell did you get here?" asked Sakura who had turned to the white haired boy. Kimimaro just shrugged. "Oh well, let's get on with spinning!" The two grabbed the lever, and Kimimaro, like Neji acted like he had 'innocently' put his hands over Sakura's. They pulled the lever.

"BITCH!" From nowhere Neji popped up, and began to catfight with Kimimaro. "SHE'S MINE!" The two rolled around while Sakura sang by herself.

"Spinning and spinning wherever it goes; don't pay attention to the hawt bishies fighting," she added that in really quick, "where it will stop, nobody knows!"

"WHAT? MY SAKURA-CHAN IS BEING FOUGHT OVER?!" Haku yelled, jumping into the catfight. Sakura stared in awe at all the hotness before her.

"It's… a double fact…" Sakura said detachedly, staring at the mass of long haired bishounen. "This means you get two facts…" Not bothering to turn to the screen, Sakura began to announce the two facts.

"1: Sakura only takes baths in the hot springs since she would drain all the hot water if she used a shower.

2: Sakura has a fetish for long hair."

Sakura stared in disbelief and horror at the information cards. "HOW DID YOU FIND THIS OUT?!" The boys stared at each other's long hair before running to get scissors. A booming voice from above laughed.

**PAYBACK.**

-

-

Sakura entered the spring. As far as she could see in the mist there was only one other woman with her.

"Konnichiwa," the older woman called out from the back end of the spring.

"Konnichiwa," Sakura greeted back, walking into the water. Wading over to the voice, she was greeted with the sight of a large breasted woman with long silver hair and white eyes similar to Sakura's, but resembling more gray. The woman's eyes seemed to widen for a moment before she broke out into a large smile.

"Hiya, Tsu-chan." Sakura stared at the woman, pondering nickname.

"Tsu-chan?" Sakura questioned, arching a brow. The woman laughed.

"You seem like a moon person to me. Anyways, tell me about yourself, Tsu-chan." The woman scooted over so Sakura could sit. Sakura shrugged internally and sat.

"Well, my name's Sakura, but I guess Tsu-chan is okay. I don't know where I come from except that I was found in Wave by Haku-teishu." The woman listened intently, not questioning the 'teishu 'like team 7 had. "Anyways, after a battle with team 7, Haku-teishu and I came to Konoha—even though I dread the heat."

"Sugoi, it sounds like you had fun," the woman said kindly, smiling. "You're a ninja, desho?"

"Yeah, I'm a gennin taking the Chuunin Exams. I have to find a teacher for the month to train with though… It's not going very well since not many people—if any—in Konoha know about water and ice attacks. Not to mention Kenjutsu…" Sakura sighed at the end, suddenly feeling like she would never find a teacher.

"Aw, that must—" The woman was interrupted by a familiar boy's voice.

"Ero-sennin! Come on, teach me something already!" Naruto voice yelled from behind the planks, followed by a rushed shush.

"Quiet! Otherwise they'll hear us!" an old man whispered angrily. He giggled and both Sakura and the woman glared. They glanced at each other before nodding. Acting normal, they began to rise.

"That must really suck, you know," the woman began, smirking. "But I bet I have some easy practice for you!" she finished. On cue the two women turned around with glares and ran towards the planks. The silver haired woman blasted the wall open with a punch, sending wood everywhere. Sakura did not hesitate to send multiple ice shots at the old white haired man. Naruto was rolling on the ground, laughing and pointing at the man. The two women pounded the old man into submission.

"So, you need a trainer right?" the woman asked, smirking as she repeatedly punched the man.

"Yeah, why?" Sakura asked between punches.

"How about I be your teacher? You seem like an excellent student," the woman complimented.

Sakura looked at the woman before responding, "okay… What's your name?" Sending a last punch at the old man, the pinkette looked up to the busty woman.

"Setsugekka Miyuki," she said, smirking. Sakura's eyes widened at the name. "at your service. Now, let's blow this Popsicle stand and discuss our training regime?" Sakura nodded and ran through the hole Miyuki had created to gather her clothes. The towel clad woman looked down at the old man. "Jeez, Jiraya, next time, bring a quieter pupil." Turning on her heel, the white haired woman walked toward the busted wall. Stopping, she announced, "you better fix this before I see you again, Ero-sennin!" Jiraya groaned from his place on the ground, feeling enormous pain from the multiple hits he had received. Naruto was still laughing and was turning red.

-

"So, Tsu-chan, let me tell you about myself," Miyuki stated. The two were now sitting in a shady, dark, forested area where the sun was unable to reach them. "Like you know, my name is Setsugekka Miyuki. I come from Yuki. I also know a lot of the jutsu you specialize in, and, believe it or not, I happen to also specialize in Kenjutsu!"

"Honto?!" Sakura asked, almost jumping up from her excitement. Was this woman made for her?

"Un! Let's start training tomorrow, okay?" Miyuki offered, beginning to stand up with Sakura following behind.

"Hai, when?"

"Hm… how about… 8? That's enough time for you to get here." Miyuki began to leave, yelling over her shoulder, "meet here!" Sakura watched the busty woman go. Staring at the spot Miyuki had sat it, she realized that she had been the most friendly she had ever been with a stranger… even friendlier than when she met Haku-teishu.

"It was like I knew her from somewhere else," Sakura commented to herself. Taking Miyuki's example, Sakura began to leave the small forest. As she walked back to her home, she made a mental note that the next time she saw Naruto and that old man she would send them both a punch. For a second Sakura wondered what had happened to the bento, but shrugged it off.

-

"Oo! A bento!" Jiraya exclaimed, holding up a blue clothed bento box. He opened it up and his mouth watered at the wonderful smell of still warm pancakes. Naruto watched as the old man ate the pancakes, then freeze, and then faint to the ground looking green. The blonde fell to the floor in laughter once more.

-

-

-

-

-

Sakura had woken up three hours before 8. It had taken her an hour to get herself ready and prepare an edible meal for herself and the sleeping Haku. Putting the fresh pancakes in Ziplocs and writing her master a note, Sakura left the house quietly. As she passed the Hyuuga Estate she heard the sounds of panting and fighting. Letting curiosity come over her, Sakura leapt up and held her place on the overlooking wall. Before her were Neji and an older version of himself in battle. Hinata was watching from the sidelines. Sakura was enchanted at two men's movements and fluently executed attacks.

"Something like that should've taken a long time to master," Sakura muttered to herself. Her pale was slowly turning red from keeping her place up on the top of the wall by hanging. Risking it, she jumped up onto the wall to sit instead of hang by her arms. She caught Hinata's attention quickly, but the pinkette held up a finger over her mouth to signal, 'quiet.' Hinata warily looked back at her cousin and father. Sakura watched quietly as Neji assaulted his opponent. Unfortunately, the older man looked up at Sakura while he dodged. "Oh, darn," Sakura sighed.

"Who are you?" the older male called out in a powerful voice. Neji had looked up as well, and was very surprised to see his pink haired neighbor above their heads.

"Sakura-san?" Neji called out.

"Ohayo Neji-san, Hinata-san, and…"

"Hyuuga Hiashi, leader of the Hyuuga Clan."

"Hiashi-san!" Hiashi was slightly appalled that Sakura had not used '-sama'. Sakura jumped down into the small area. "You were practicing, right? That's the Hyuuga Clan's Byakugan, desho?" Sakura had come close to Neji's face to inspect the chakra produced veins. Neji had gotten a flashback of the kiss, and started to turn red.

"So, Sakura-san, what were you doing up there?" Hiashi asked, raising a brow at his nephew's reddening face.

"Well, I was passing by to go train with my sensei, but I heard you two training, and I couldn't help but watch…" Sakura bowed in politeness. "It was a wonderful match to watch, Neji-san, Hiashi-san."

"Sakura-san, you said something about going to train with your sensei?" Neji asked, pulling away and deactivating his Byakugan. Sakura nodded, slightly sad that he didn't let her continue looking at the bloodline. "Who is that?"

"A woman named Setsugekka Miyuki," Sakura answered. Hiashi's eyed widened.

'Setsugekka? The powerful clan that rules Yuki?' Hiashi wondered why such a woman would be so far from home, and training the seemingly weak pink haired kunoichi.

"I'm supposed to meet her at 8… Eto, does anyone have the time?" Sakura asked. Hinata ran inside for a moment before coming back out.

"I believe it's around 7:30," Hinata stuttered out. Sakura gasped.

"Ah, iia! I'll be late! Thank you Hinata-san!" Bowing once more to the Hyuugas, Sakura just disappeared from sight. It was just like she was there, but wasn't.

"How did she…?" Hiashi asked, not seeing many ninja able to do that.

"She was a Missing Hunter Nin companioned to Momochi Zabuza," Neji answered. Hiashi stared at the place Sakura had been in.

'What a powerful child. I wonder what a Setsugekka is doing with her?'

-

"M-Miyuki-sensei!" Sakura called out; appearing in the forested area they had been in the day before.

"Hai, Tsu-chan?" a voice came from the trees. "Training begins now; the First Test: Speed!" Millions of weapons sped towards Sakura. The pinkette's eyes widened before she turned serious. Dodging and jumping inhumanely fast, she somehow managed to only get one senbon stuck into her arm and a kunai wound on her leg. "Very good Tsu-chan! Second Test: Strength!" As Miyuki finished yelling, about eight clones of her appeared, all wielding a long katana. Sakura moved slightly, and hesitated not to pull out the two wakizashis on her thighs. Holding them in a position that was ready to strike, she dealt a quick blow to the first clone before her. The clone guarded swiftly, and sent a quick kick to Sakura's side. Sakura reversed her hold on Reiketsu, so the blade was facing downward. Slamming the sword down, Sakura impaled the clone's leg, causing it to disappear in a blast of smoke. Turning on her heel, Sakura managed to deflect the oncoming kunai with Reiketsu. There were only seven Miyuki clones left for Sakura to destroy.

Forming quick handseals, Sakura announced, "Hyoukai no Oomi!" Tsurara's blade became encased in light blue chakra that manifested itself in the shape of a longer blade, increasing Tsurara's length. The chakra had white swirls in it and glowed. Sakura slashed it across the plane to exterminate the clones, creating a loud thunder crash-like sound. Only one jumped up in time to survive the great sword.

'What a powerful technique! I haven't seen it before; maybe it's a jutsu from Mist?' Miyuki observed her new pupil with happiness. 'The way she executes it is amazing also… She must be _her_.'

"Hyaa!" Sakura yelled out as she slashed at the remaining clone. This Miyuki clone seemed to be the most agile. When the clone sent out weapons Sakura would deflect them with Reiketsu, and then send a slash back at the clone with the lengthened Tsurara that was still affected by Hyoukai no Oomi. The pattern had continued for five minutes before the clone slipped slightly on a dew wetted branch. Sakura yelled as she sent Tsurara through the clone, earning herself a burst of smoke.

"Sugoi, Tsu-chan!" Miyuki complimented as she revealed herself. The woman was now in her ninja clothing. The top was more like a small kimono that dipped very low like a loose sweater and the sleeves were attached to black gloves she wore. The busty woman had a black halter top to keep her boobs in check. The top had an odd symbol on it that had a large white circle with a smaller black one in it towards the top. It looked like a black and white version of Sakura's pendant without the kanji. Miyuki also wore black bottoms similar to her halter top, which led Sakura to think that she had a black under suit on. On her thighs Miyuki wore two black straps that held a scroll on each leg. Amazingly, the tall woman wore heeled sandals. Lastly, Miyuki had a black semi-transparent sash wrapped around her so that it would hug her back and wrap around her arms and then hand freely."Now for the Last Test!" Sakura braced herself. "Mental Capability!" Sakura looked at the woman who started fish around for something. "Ah! Here we are." Miyuki handed Sakura the pieces of a cube all cut into different shapes. "Put this together as quick as you can." Sakura sat down with the pieces, holding her chin and looking at them.

-

-

"Welcome back to Triviact!" Sakura announced, jumping down into the screen. Gaara followed in after.

"Aa," he grunted. Sakura sent him a glare. Gaara backed away slowly and cleared his throat. "Let's spin the Wheel Thing now." Sakura sighed and the two pulled the shiny red lever. The two began to sing, but Sakura had other plans. She took out a recorder and taped Gaara singing the Triviact Wheel song.

"Spinning and spinning wherever it goes, where it will stop, nobody knows," he sang. Sakura smiled devilishly and hid the recorder for later.

"It's…!" Sakura held up the TRIVIA poster, "Trivia!"

Gaara held up a card and began to read it. "What is Tsuyuki's older sister's FULL name?

A: Hiki

B: Mushi

C: Hatori

D: Hikarune

Or,

E: Hikigane."

"Only those who read EVERY WORD of that certain chapter will know!" Sakura hinted.

"Sayonara," Gaara mumbled, waving a forced hand.

-

-

Sakura had now put together half of the box in 3 minutes. Miyuki was watching is content.

'She's a smart child too. I can't wait to really start training her,' the woman thought, happy for her fortune. Another two minutes had passed and the box was slowly coming to its full shape. At 7 minutes Sakura completed the box.

"I'm done!" the pinkette called out, holding up the box.

"Good!" Miyuki encouraged, clapping. "That was wonderful! Now that I know what I need to know, you can go home for today.

"Honto? I'm still good to go though…"

"I know, but I need to make a training schedule that will efficiently target the problems in your form." Miyuki informed, shooing away the girl. Sakura looked back once before leaving. Miyuki smiled to the barely visible sun. "I wonder how much she remembers about herself?" Sighing for some reason, Miyuki left to make her promised schedule.

-

-

As Sakura walked home, she spotted Hinata by her estate's gate. Hinata ran up to the pinkette with a red face.

"Ano… I know I didn't make it to the last part but… Would you maybe…" Hinata stuttered, playing insanely with her fingers.

"What?" Sakura asked, watching the girl.

"Would you… maybe... maybe…!" Hinata's face had gone insanely red. "Would you maybe train with me!?" Sakura looked at the girl.

"Why not? Sure. Right now?" Hinata's face had turned back to a normal color and she smiled. The blue haired Hyuuga nodded. Sakura shrugged and followed the girl into the large manor. "Make sure you use your fullest powers Hinata-san," Sakura reminded as they entered the training area they had been in previously during the morning. "But don't overexert yourself—all good ninja know when to retreat. Plus, I know Neji had dealt you a hard blow during the Prelims." Hinata looked up at the taller girl then looked back down.

"Hai," she muttered. Taking her place at the far side, Sakura faced Hinata. "Sakura-san, don't hold back! Don't pity me and treat me like one of your targets during an assassination!" Sakura stared at the girl in sadness. She didn't want the pinkette to hold back, but Sakura knew her power was on a completely different level than Hinata's.

"Yes," Hiashi's older voice came from the doorway. "Don't hold back. I would like to see how you fare against my daughter." Sakura stared in guilt for a moment at Hinata.

"Okay, Hinata-san, but don't feel embarrassed, okay?" Sakura said. Hinata was confused.

"What do you mean?" the heiress asked. Sakura looked sadly at Hiashi and nodded her head. "Just know that I am not holding anything back."

"Begin!" the older man called out. Hinata gasped as Sakura immediately disappeared from sight. Turning, she activated her Byakugan to try to find the hunter. It useless though when she felt her back be hit by the hilt of a weapon. The blow sent Hinata skidding to the ground a good yard away. The Hyuuga flipped around to lie on her back but gasped when the tip of a sword rested above her throat.

"This is an assassination, Hinata-san," Sakura remarked from above the girl, not lowering her weapon. "You waste no time with petty words and take your opponent out. Kill first; ask questions later." At last, the hunter pulled her weapon away from the Hyuuga girl.

"Sakura-san wins!" Hiashi announced. "Hinata, you could learn something from her."

"Hiashi-san, don't get me wrong, but _shut up_," Sakura coldly spat.

"Excuse me?" Hiashi asked, not believing his ears.

"Hinata-san couldn't have done anything more. My level is far above hers, and you know that," Sakura stated as she pulled up Hinata. "Let's face the facts: I was trained for quick assassinations and skills. Also, when I was still in Mist, I was considered an A rank missing nin. Not to mention the numerous high leveled missions and suicide missions or the people I was with! I've probably killed more than you have in your younger days in one _week_." Sakura turned to mockingly smile at the appalled man. "But, then again, it could be your _neglect_ of your daughter that caused her easy defeat." Hiashi stared wide eyed at the young girl. "Hinata-san," Sakura said, turning back to the smaller girl. Holding her hand out, Sakura smiled the same way she had at Ino. "Would you like me to train you? I'm sure Hiashi-san has much to do with Neji-san."

"H-hai," Hinata said, staring into Sakura's eyes. The meeker girl had felt enchanted when the more powerful one had smiled. Oddly, she felt compelled to see the smile once more. Sakura looked down into Hinata's eyes.

"Good. Tomorrow when I get back from training with Miyuki-sensei we'll start over next door as to not disturb Neji-san and Hiashi-san." Sakura let go of the girl's hand. Hinata had not noticed until the girl's cold hand slipped from hers that her cheeks were hot with a blush. "Now Hiashi-san," Sakura called, turning to the older Hyuuga once more, "if you have any grief about this _come to me_, not Hinata." The clan leader snorted. Sakura smirked and left to her activities. Hinata only watched the girl go. Coming to her senses, Hinata rushed back inside to ensure she had not damaged anything.

'Amazing,' Neji thought from his spying place in a window. 'Just amazing.'

-

-

"AIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!" Chibi Sakura's voice screeched and she was covered in the long haired bishounen.

"TAKE ME SAKURA-HIME-SAMA!" they chanted, hanging onto her waist.

"SOMEONE SAVE ME!!" Sakura yelled, until she finally realized the _predicament_ she was in. "TO A BEDROOM BOYS!" she yelled, pointing to the horizon. The three boys gasped and carried the pinkette to the closest room with the biggest bed.

Meanwhile, Jiraya was giggling his ass off and taking notes. "I'll call this book _Icha Icha Tsuki_!"

-

-

"Hello Tsu-chan!" Miyuki greeted. "I have our training regime all set! The first thing we're working on is your entire speed. I know you are incredibly fast as it is, but I want you to still increase it. By wearing these weights," Miyuki held up two leg bands with weights in them, "you should be able to move twice as fast."

"Honto?" Sakura asked, taking the heavy weights. The leg bands were not like's Lee's—they were solid black and rested nicely on her shins.

"Yup. It'll take a while to get used to, but I'm sure you'll manage." Miyuki smiled devilishly. "Now; 100 laps around Konoha!"

'1-100?!' Sakura thought, dreading this sooner.

"Not only will this exercise help you grow faster, but it'll increase your endurance to the sun!" Miyuki laughed heartily as she ran beside Sakura. The girl was doing fine, but the grown woman could see sweat starting to bead. "Come on! Work it Tsu-chan!" Sakura glared at her teacher and upped her pace. Maybe she should've worn her hair up today.

-

-

By the time Sakura had finished training for the day, she sworn Miyuki was crazy. The woman made her do imaginable things while wearing the weights (which she had learned had 10 pounds in each bar, and there were 5 bars in each leg band, making roughly 100 pounds). Wiping the sweat from her brow, Sakura adjusted her hair which had been tied in two buns like Tenten's. Miyuki said it suited her, and had a strange look in her eyes. Sakura leapt over the wall she had been seated on a day ago, feeling Hinata's chakra signature along with Neji's and Hiashi's. All three stared up at the pink haired girl.

"What?" she asked, raising an elegant brow. Shrugging, she strode over to her new student. "Come, Hinata-san, we're taking the quicker route.

"Nani ka?" Hinata asked, not getting an answer before she was swept off her feet by Sakura—literally. The hunter had the heiress in a bridal position.

"Hang on," Sakura muttered, transporting the two like she had earlier yesterday. The two male Hyuugas went back to fighting but not before Hiashi gave a small inaudible growl.

-

Appearing in a large vacant area, Sakura set Hinata down on the ground. The navy haired girl wobbled before she composed herself and promptly turned red.

"I'm going to teach you like I was taught but with some… _friendlier_ twists," Sakura informed, barely hinting that her training had been a brutal experience. She gestured to a large boom box and a collection of CDs next to it. "The first lesson is timing. "_Timing is the most important virtue for a hunter __or any ninja. If you cannot execute an attack or defense on time it will be a fruitless attempt," _is one of the first rule hunters live by." Walking over to the large boom box, she shifted through the mass of CDs before she slipped one out. Setting it on the spinner and closing the lid, Sakura skipped to a track and pressed pause. Taking out a portable controller she turned once more to Hinata and began to explain the rules. "I'm starting a song with easy to hear beats to it. On every recognizable beat I'll slowly send a senbon to hit you. Your goal is to evade all of the senbon by listening to the beat and repeating the process. When you are comfortable with the exercise I'll switch to a faster paced song and continue from there. Understand?" Hinata nodded and got into a defensive stance. "Oh no, no need to go into a stance. All you need is timing and good footwork."

"Okay, Sakura-sensei," Hinata stuttered, putting down her hands. Sakura was a very gentle teacher compared to what her father put her through.

"Ready… begin!" Sakura clicked 'PLAY' and Aya Hirano's 'Bouken Desho Desho' began to play. Sakura sent out a senbon on every bell ring in the beginning. Satisfied that Hinata had evaded the beginning senbon, Sakura sent out a senbon per syllable. She aimed the senbon in places Hinata's feet would land so the girl would have to watch where she stepped. Sakura was inwardly overjoyed that her new pupil had successfully completed the first song. But it didn't come without its consequences. Hinata was breathing hard and sweating. Walking over to the panting girl Sakura handed out a water bottle. "That was excellent Hinata-san," Sakura said sending an almost microscopic smile towards Hinata. Hinata got that odd, elated feeling again and strangely felt energized.

"A-arigatou Sakura-sensei!" Hinata happily thanked, taking the bottle and sipping slowly to not upset her stomach. While Hinata rested Sakura gathered all of the weapons she had thrown.

"I'm very proud Hinata-san," Sakura commented with her back towards Hinata. Hinata stared wide eyed at the pinkette. How many times had she wished her father say that to her? "I just can't wait to see how far I can take you!" Hinata sensed a new emotion in Sakura's voice—excitement with a dash of joy. The heiress was sure that the pinkette was turned away because she had a smile on her face. Just the thought of it brought a smile upon Hinata's own face.

"Sakura-sensei, I'm ready to continue," Hinata called, setting down her water bottle and jacket. Sakura took Hinata's example and began to take of her own kimono. Hinata tuned red, but saw the white under dress Sakura kept on. Folding it nicely, Sakura set her clothing down and swapped CDs. Not switching to another track she looked back to check if Hinata was ready. The female Hyuuga was ready and Sakura pressed 'PLAY'. Kana Ueda's 'PIKA PIKA no Taiyou' began to play throughout the clearing. Not bothering to tell Hinata to start, she began to send out senbon after senbon. As she watched the Hyuuga dance around the metal weapons, Sakura oddly felt happy enough to sing along.

"JIRI JIRI to nari hibiku mezamashite okosareta,GIRA GIRI to taiyou ga kyou mo mata zekkouchou,memutai me kosutte wa kimi no senaka oikakete,kake ashi de tsumazuite koron de wa ochikonda," she sang, surprising Hinata with her voice. "Jyugyouchuu sora wo mite,BOKARI kuchi wo akeru atama ni,meichuu shita kamihikouki no MESSEJI,"itsumo itsumo waratte te"ima kimi no sugu soba de wakachi aeru mainichi,donna konnan datte tobikoerareru,ashita wo futari de mukaerareru you ni ne,kumori zora no hi datte shiawase iro de warau kara,PIKA PIKA no taiyou no you ni," Sakura continued as she threw weapons at the Hyuuga. "CHIRI CHIRI to koboreteku sunadokei mitumete wa,KIRA KIRA to namida shita kyou no kimi zetsufuchou??urunda me kimi no senaka sotto tataki,omoikkiri hohoen de taiyou ni sasayaita,"motto motto warau kara"

Ima kimi no sugu soba de wakachi aeru mainichi,donna naidai datte toki susumeru yo,ashita wo egao de mukaerareru you ni ne,ame no sora no hi datte futari issho de waraou ne,PIKA PIKA no taiyou no you ni!" Sakura finished as she sent the last senbon sailing. Hinata was once again huffing and puffing and had a few nicks and scratches. Sitting on her rump, Hinata took a swig of her water.

"Sakura-sensei, you have a beautiful voice," the heiress complimented, earning a slight blush from the pinkette.

"Ah… Iie, it's not that good…" Sakura mumbled, turning away so Hinata could not see her adorably cute blushing face—

-

-

"ADORABLY CUTE BLUSHING FACE!? WHERE?" the Chibi Bishounen Saku-Lovers Gang popped up, asking. Most of their clothing was disheveled.

"Ahem," Sakura coughed to the screen. "Welcome back to Triviact. Since I don't want to have to deal with all of them and that lever, I'm just calling it a TriviaFact! You get both for free!" Taking out a small card, Chibi Sakura began to read off of it. "Fact: Sakura sang a lot when she was smaller, and still has an angelic voice…" Sakura glared at the card.

"Trivia: What wound did Sakura get from one of Gato's henchmen?

A: a scratch

B: a long scar

C: a broken finger

D: a slashed hand,

Or,

E: WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! SAKURA'S TOO AWESOME TO BE HIT BY ONE OF THOSE N00bS!! LOL, THEY WERE PWNED!"

Sakura stared at the card before tearing it into small pieces. "Another evil purged from this world by SAKURA! Good luck!"

-

-

"Well," Sakura started. "This is the last exercise for today, okay Hinata-san?"

"Hai Sakura-sensei!" Hinata answered back confidently.

"Be careful though; this one's extremely fast and was difficult for me. But I was like… 9 or something so it may be easier for your already trained body." Hinata gulped; this exercise had stumped Sakura the first time? But she quickly regained her confidence to try to impress Sakura once more to see her magical smile. Sakura once again switched out CDs and put in a black one. Skipping one or two tacks she prepared herself to unleash barrages of senbon at a time. Jabbing 'PLAY', Sakuya's Theme, 'Million Knife', from Touhou played.

-

Touhou is a shooting game that you can download off the internet I believe. I haven't played it, but I love the song and its great inspiration for battle scenes.

-

Hinata's eyes widened when she saw tens of senbon appear in a few seconds. Gaining a focused look to them, her eyes darted between all the weapons. The Hyuuga danced out of the way as she span on her heel. One senbon managed to cause a cut in her arm, but it was nothing serious. The constant barrage of erratically thrown weapons was slowly wearing down Hinata's endurance, and she could feel herself growing fatigued.

"Come on Hinata-san! It's almost finished!" Sakura called out, throwing another round of senbon. Hinata dully noted this was probably why they called it 'Million Knife'. The Hyuuga girl tried her best to evade as many as she could, but ended up with ten senbon lodged into her arms and legs. The wounds bled little, but the pain was there for sure. Once the song finished Sakura ran over to her student. "Daijoubu?" the pinkette asked. Hinata looked up.

"Daijoubu desu…" she muttered as she flinched from pain.

"Don't look so down Hinata-san. It was hard for me, so it must've been hard for you too. We'll keep working on it, okay?" Sakura offered, slowly removing the senbon. Hinata was surprised at how gently Sakura removed the weapons. The pinkette quickly sealed up the holes with a small amount of chakra. "I'm so proud of you Hinata-san. You really surprised me today. I hope you stay as surprising," Sakura joked, helping Hinata up. The navy haired girl thanked the pink haired girl and brushed off her pants. They were littered with little holes, but they were very hard to notice.

"I'll wait at the training area in my estate for you tomorrow Sakura-sensei," Hinata told the hunter, smiling gently, not stuttering at all. The pinkette rested a cold hand on the Hyuuga.

"Get a good night's rest, okay?" she requested, not looking at the girl. Hinata smiled and nodded. Once the navy haired girl left Sakura collapsed onto the ground, dead asleep. The sun had turned her cheeks a pretty pink from heat. Haku passed by only a few minutes after the girl had fainted. Running out, he looked at her. The ground was covered in senbon. Haku smiled in a 'what am I going to do with you' way and looked up to the sky.

"Sakura-chan, you may not realize it, but coming to Konoha was a wonderful thing for you." Haku sighed as he lifted the girl and her clothing, leaving the CDs, boom box, and senbon.

-

-

-

The next two weeks had continued like this. Miyuki would train Sakura insanely and then Sakura would train Hinata in a gentle yet insane way like her current sensei. Sakura could tell she was growing stronger, and that Hinata had also improved greatly. The timid girl had much more confidence and speed. Her overall defense and evasion skills had also went up, and during the short time they focused on attack Hinata had also improved a great deal. Sakura secretly felt proud of herself, knowing she was the reason Hinata had grown so much. She was slightly disheartened when Miyuki told her they had to train in a remote place for the next week.

"Nande?" Sakura asked.

"The techniques I'm going to teach you are secret and very powerful, and I don't want anyone being hit by a stray jutsu," Miyuki explained. Sakura sighed, and nodded.

"When do you want me here?" Sakura asked.

"Same time, same place," Miyuki informed. "Now go and tell Hina-chan, okay?" Yes, in the two weeks Sakura had introduced Hinata to Miyuki. Miyuki took an instant liking to Hinata, who warmed up to the woman fairly quickly. The two seemed to adore Sakura, and tried to come up with ways to make the pinkette smile.

"Hai, ja ne!" Sakura called out, waving. Miyuki waved goodbye to the girl as she left.

-

"Eh?" Hinata asked as she sat next to Sakura on her porch. The two were watching Hiashi (who had unwittingly accepted Sakura as his daughter's instructor) and Neji spar.

"Yeah, we have to leave for a week. I want you to continue dancing to Million Knife, okay?" Sakura asked, giving the girl the CD. Hinata nodded, and took the fragile CD. Hinata had almost completed Million Knife, and Sakura, in an alien burst of happiness, hugged the Hyuuga girl. Hinata then found that Sakura's hugs were just as good as her smiles.

"Hai, Sakura-sensei," Hinata replied.

"Ma, I have to go now. Bye Hinata-chan." They had become very close too. Outside of training the two called each other with a '-chan', surprising some of the gennin. Neji and Haku were the only calm ones who knew anything about the duo's training regime. Sakura disappeared away, not earning a reaction from the Hyuugas whom had grown used to it. The pinkette appeared before her master.

"Something wrong Sakura-chan?" the brunette questioned.

"Haku-teishu, I have to leave for a week with Miyuki-sensei. So you won't see me around, okay?" Sakura informed, worried about Haku's food problems.

-

-

"Konnichiwa!" all the Chibi Ninja called out. "This is the last Triviact, so prepare yourselves!"

"The wheel decided to be broken…" Sakura muttered, glaring at the wrapped up wheel. "So we're just assuming it's a Trivia."

Chibi Tsunade came up and began to read her card. "During Dream Sequence 2, what does Tsuyuki ask about?

A: Being a ninja

B: Their clan

Or,

C: Death."

"Gambattene!" Chibi Sakura yelled out before she was once again kidnapped by the Chibi Bishounen Saku-Lovers.

-

-

"Hai, it's all good Sakura-chan," Haku said, smiling. Sakura inwardly sighed.

"Well, I'm going to get my things ready, okay? You probably won't see me for awhile, so…" Sakura gave him a quick hug before she ran off. Haku laughed behind her.

"Konoha is doing very nice things to you Sakura-chan." He touched his reddening cheeks. "Very nice things."

-

-

-

"Miyuki-sensei! I'm all ready to go!" Sakura called, carrying her small pack. The older woman turned to the younger girl.

"Let's get going then Tsu-chan!" Miyuki announced with a fist pump. Sakura followed behind the older woman, easily keeping up with her gait. The two's shadows slowly grew smaller until they disappeared from sight. Only when the week would end would their shadows return.

-

-

-

-

-

-

HELLZ YEAH! This chapter is around double the amount of pages longer than normal! I really hoped you like it—but wait! THERE'S MORE TO MY APOLOGY CHAPTER! OUT TAKES! Yes, these were failed takes of this chapter.

-

"Leeet's spiiiin!" the two called out, grabbing the great big lever and pulling it, releasing the spinning mechanism.

"OW! FUCK!" Haku cursed as he nursed his head. The lever had hit him straight on the forehead. Sakura pointed and laughed.

-

"Ino? Ino? I-no?!" Shikamaru was waving his hand in front of Ino's spaced out face. "Earth to Ino!"

"Houston we have a problem!" Ino announced in a deep voice. Everyone laughed as Ino continued to spurt out random order to an imaginary walky-talky.

-

'MY HAAAAIIIRR!!!! SOMEONE, SAVE IT!!!' Inner Neji cried chibi tears. "Konnichiwa," Neji greeted in a low, mature tone. Sakura glomped him and literally rubbed her cheek like a cat against his.

"AW, I WUV YOU NEJI-CHAN!!" Neji smiled devilishly and he glomped Sakura.

"I WUV YOU TOO!!!" Haku and Kimimaro jumped in to stop the two.

This scene took another three time to get right since Neji wouldn't stop smirking at the other two bishounen when Sakura rubbed her cheek against his.

-

"Perhaps you should focus on learning control?" Neji offered, glancing at her. He knew that if she was a lesser woman, she would be tearing.

"Well… well… uh… YOUR MOM!" Sakura yelled, pointing at the brunette.

**DON'T STEAL MY LINES BITCH!**

Everyone laughed as Chocolat-chan continued to rain down insults.

-

"YOU BITCH!!" Kakashi yelled up to the sky.

**YOUR MOM.**

"BOTH YOUR MOMS!" Sakura screeched.

**DID YOU JUST BRING MOMMY INTO THIS? NU-UH SISTER!**

Disembodied snapping sounds were heard above.

This take took another six because someone wouldn't stop snapping at the end.

-

"What the hell?" she muttered, staring at her hands. Calming herself, Sakura gazed up into the dark night that was slowly turning to dawn. Staring back down at her pendent, she muttered the name the voice had told her. "Setsugekka Miyuki… ka?" She fell back onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling like Haku had done previously. "What am I going to do with myself?"

"MASTUR—" Neji's voice yelled out before he was silenced by Haku and Kimimaro. Sakura ran out of her bedroom scene and began to maul Neji whilst yelling 'hentai!'

-

"It was like I knew her from somewhere else," Sakura commented to herself.

"You did! I was your LOVE MASTER!" Miyuki yelled, jumping onto Sakura. The two women squealed as the three hawt bishies joined in the romp.

The cast had to ensure Miyuki wasn't near the stage when they shot this scene the second time round.

-

"Oo! A bento!" Jiraya exclaimed, holding up a blue clothed bento box. He opened it up and his mouth watered at the wonderful smell of still warm pancakes. Naruto watched as the old man ate the pancakes, then freeze, and then faint to the ground looking green. The blonde fell to the floor in laughter once more.

BOOM!

The set had exploded and Jiraya was a charred piece of old man. Naruto was still laughing even though he was covered in ash. Soon, everyone joined in the laughter.

Haku wasn't allowed to make food props anymore.

-

"You were practicing, right? That's the Hyuuga Clan's Byakugan, desho?" Sakura had come close to Neji's face to inspect the chakra produced veins. Neji smirked before he took the pinkette's mouth as his own. Haku and Kimimaro growled like a jaguar and jumped on the two, attempting to tear them away from each other.

**WELL DAMN.**

"You bet!" Jiraya exclaimed as he wrote down more information for Icha Icha Tsuki.

-

"Spinning and spinning wherever it goes, where it will stop, nobody knows," he sang. Sakura smiled devilishly and hid the recorder for later.

A moment later she felt around for it, only to find it missing. "Where did it go?"

"Looking for this?" Gaara asked, holding the small recorder.

"DAMMIT!" Sakura cursed, jumping onto Gaara. "GIMME!"

"ONLY IF I GET A BOOBIE COOKIE!" Gaara yelled out.

"A WHAT?!" Sakura yelled.

"A BOOBIE COOKIE!"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS A DAMN BOOBIE COOKIE?!"

**OMFG, IF YOU DON'T SHUT THE F--- UP, I WILL COME DOWN THERE AND BEAT YOUR MOTHER F---ING ASSES AND RIP OUT YOUR MOTHER F---ING VOCAL CORDS DAMMIT! I DON'T F---ING CARE WHAT THE HELL A F---ING BOOBIE COOKIE IS! F---!**

The two stared up into the sky.

"Boobie cookie?"

-

'Amazing,' Neji thought from his spying place in a window. 'Just amazing.'

"I mean, just look at that ass!" Neji yelled, pointing to Sakura's butt. He jumped out of the window to jump on the girl and rub her wonderful behind.

"Gyahahaa!!!" Sakura yelled flailing around while laughing. "Hentai! Hentai!"

This particular one took five because Neji wouldn't stop making his nose bleed from images.

-

"Ma, I have to go now. Bye Hinata-chan." They had become very close too. Outside of training the two called each other with a '-chan', surprising some of the gennin. Neji and Haku were the only calm ones who knew anything about the duo's training regime.

"NOO! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Hinata cried out, hanging onto Sakura's waist. Sakura laughed as Hinata jumped onto her and clamped her legs around the pinkette's waist. "DON'T GOOOO!!! WHO WILL I HAVE MAD YURI SEX WITH?!" Everyone laughed as Hinata smothered her face in Sakura's boobs with a content sigh.

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Sensei--teacher

Ah, iia--something like 'Oh no'

Daijoubu--are you okay?

Daijoubu desu--I'm fine (desu pronounced des)

Demo--but

Honto--really

Un--yeah

Konnichiwa--hello

Watashi wa--I am…

Sayonara--good bye

Iie--no

Nani ka?--what?

Hyouden—a field of eternal snow

Nee-chan—honorific for big sister

Gambattene--good luck

Arigatou--thank you

-teishu--master

Eto--um

Gomenasai--I'm sorry

Gomen--short for gomenasai; I'm sorry

Hi--Ice

Anata wa-You are…

Ma--well

Setsugekka--ice, flowers, and the moon

Miyuki--hard snowfall

Ohayo--good morning

Ano--um

Yatta--yay; yeah

Bonjour--hello

Bishies--a short way to say bishounen; handsome anime men

Bishounen--beautiful anime men

Sugoi--amazing; wow

Desho--right?

Kenjutsu--sword techniques

Yuki--Snow

Bento--Japanese lunch box

Hyoukai no Oomi--Frozen Water's Long Blade; Kenjutsu technique

Hai--yes

Icha Icha Tsuki--Come Come Moon

Chibi--cute, small

Nande--why

Ja ne--see you

Hentai--pervert, perverted

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So… many… words!!! -dies-

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Please alert me of any mistakes I may have!

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Preview

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Sakura's at last found a teacher that seems like she was sent by God. Taking Hinata under her wing, Sakura prepares herself for the Chuunin Exams. What was the deal with that strange wolf Ino saw? What was that voice? What does Tsuyuki have to do with this?

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Sakura's all ready to go for the last part of the exams--if she was there that is! Sakura-chan's late, and her match has had a little surprise change to it. Where are that hunter and her busty sensei?

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SORRY! I hope you like this! I've also posted a SPOILER picture for Sakura's Chuunin Exam Battle Royal Section (The last part)! Go take a look and wonder what new powers Sakura will hold! I'm currently working on Miyuki--be patient!

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Review Please! I worked hard on this chapter to make it SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME!


	6. Chapter 6

Full Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and one Hunter Nin, but two Hunter Nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink…

Disclaimer: No own.

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Wow! I feel, like, super duper special. xD I've gotten so many reviews! –sniff- Yeah, I'm a review whore! KEEP 'EM COMIN'!!

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Mrs.UchihaItachi-hime—Wow, you have a long name! xD Thank yew!

Yukisan1—Thanks love!

Sara1965—What are you, _Shikamaru_?? T-T

Emogurl1234—Thank yew duckie!

Layla99—Oh yes, I myself have a long hair fetish! –starts naming off random anime/RPG characters with long hair- Altos, Deidara, Haji, NEJI, Itachi, Shikamaru, Kimimaro, Haku… Oh, and let's not forget Sesshoumaru!

XxSorenxX—Thanks!

Sakura4eva—Going to the candy store, candy store, candy store; what kind of candy will I get? –sings- THANKS!! –glomp- Happy birthday!

Staring.out.my.flooded.window—THANKS!! ALRIGHT! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!! xD I so will! –types faster-

Pinky101—Thanks!

13thhour—BUT OF COURSE! Genius idea chap!

xXHyuugaSakuraXx—Yeah, most likely Naruto (that's odd—I normally detest the pairing.. -.-0) and yes, but not from Tsunade! Teehee…

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Well, I have an announcement! You don't have to mind about the whole CA System thing! Why? BECAUSE I HAVE THE PASSWORD!!! AHAHAHA!!! Yeah, my brother just announced it at the dinner table when we were complaining about the Oh! so many problems the damn thing caused us.

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Akire- 'Ello friends! I'm one of Chocolat-hime's many… alter egos.

Yuyuko- Hn, we're currently standing in for her, cause… well…

Chocolat- -gurglemoan-

Akire- See? –sigh- Feel bad for the girl, okay? She's… um, to put it simply, exhausted. She's been walking around like a zombie—literally!

Yuyuko- She just… walks, and the natural shadows under her eyes (Truth to God—my mom says some people have allergies that give them shadows under their eyes… Like poor me!) …she looks dead.

Inuyume- Even her friends tell her she looks like the walking dead. O-O This chapter practically killed her!

Akayume- Tardiness was no fault on her part—school, schoolwork, and projects. WONDERFUL WEEK!! And fight scenes… not exactly her forte.

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If you haven't checked out Sakura's Chuunin Battle Costume (I've also dubbed it her 'B' outfit, meaning this is her new outfit, like what happened with Sasuke) or Miyuki's pictures yet, go do so! I WORKED HARD ON THOSE!!!! Plus I don't describe too well… Pictures say a thousand words, y'know!

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This chapter's inspirational music: みょん - Demistify Feast from Touhou.

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Hm, correct dialogue. That's a hard one. I'm pretty sure correct dialogue may be scattered, but for the most part it's all me! ;P

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Also, the amount of –'s shows how much time passed. So, if there is one of theme, a short amount passed. If there's three or four, a good amount has passed.

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Warnings: Cursing, BUTT WHOOPING ACTION!, and a bit of disturbing (yet humorous) imagery at the end dealing with Gai and Miyuki…

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Page Count: 19

Word Count: 7323

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**Frost**

**Chapter 6**

**Oh, Sakura!**

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'Sakura-chan, where _are _you?' Hinata thought, distressed that her teacher was nowhere to be seen. Both Naruto and Shikamaru's matches had passed, and it was hers next! Sasuke was also nowhere to be seen either.

"Where are they!?" Ino screeched, pulling at her bang. She came to specifically see Sasuke and Sakura's matches, but they were nowhere to be seen!

"I'm as worried as you are," Haku whined, wallowing in gloom and fret. A cloud once again appeared over his head, this time not only raining but flashing lightning.

"What if…" Hinata began, slowly widened her eyes, "what if Sakura somehow got injured while training?!" Haku and Hinata started to wail, worrying for their missing special person. While the two cried and Ino supervised, down in the waiting stands things weren't very better.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Naruto wailed, throwing around his arms. "It's her match next!!"

"Sasuke's missing too," Shikamaru drawled, gazing at the blonde. This only caused the blonde to start carrying on more.

"We have an announcement!" Genma announced from in the stadium. "Because Kinimura Dosu has disappeared, we will make the next match a three-way match! So, can Uchiha Sasuke, Sabaku no Gaara, and Sakura please enter the arena?" Murmurs began when neither Sasuke nor Sakura appeared. "If Sasuke and Sakura do not come in five minutes they will be eliminated and Sabaku no Gaara will be named the victor!"

"Where are you Sakura-chan!?" four people asked at once, worrying for the absent girl. Four minutes passed before Genma began the final countdown. At thirty, Sasuke and Kakashi appeared in a swirl of leaves. How… dramatic.

Genma continued his countdown, confusing Sasuke and Kakashi. They were there, weren't they? "29! 28! 27!" This continued before her reached one. "ZERO! Sakura is now—"

"**MATTE**!!!!" a voice boomed out from above. The shadows of two women came into view, both with long hair and in a similar position. As they neared, the crowd gasped as they saw the two shadow's forms. Sakura and Miyuki, in all their glory were sailing through the air and into the arena. "We're not late!" Miyuki yelled as she smiled a very Naruto smile. The two landed, causing fissures to appear where they landed. Landing caused their figures to become recognizable by everyone. Hinata gasped at the

clothing Sakura was wearing. It didn't differ much from her old one, but the colors, design, and sleeves were very different… And oh god;

Was it actually LONGER than her other one?!

Yes, it was! The hem reached at least two inches further down than her older kimono. This kimono's sleeves also were not free, but instead they were secure on her wrists. The kimono itself was a deep dark blue, while the sleeves were a light shade of blue. The folds that ran over her chest and thigh were black, and the hem was outlined in black as well. The cuffs of the sleeves were black, and had a six pointed snowflake decoration on them. The obi was white and had a black cord around it with the same snowflake decorative in the middle. Actually, when you looked far away, the kimono seemed to be separate from the sleeves, since there were black cuffs on her shoulders. On Sakura's right breast (our left) was the same emblem that was on Miyuki's black halter combination suit. A circle with a small circle in it connected to the top so it resembled a crescent moon with its 'horns' pointing up. The 'moon' was white while the circle was black (all in all, it just looks like Sakura's pendent but black and white). Sakura's white socks reached up to her thighs and were capped with black (shockingly, Hinata noticed that only and inch or two of thigh was visible). Her ninja sandals also changed too. The shuriken like ornaments were gone. The bottom was black, while the two straps on the front were blue, and the strap around the ankle was black. The sandals also looked like they had two inches of heel to them too.

Another odd thing was that Sakura's hair was out of its bun-ponytail. Instead, twin buns that reminded her of Tenten adorned her head. The two buns were covered in a light blue cover with the same emblem that was on her kimono. The white bands were still on her bangs, though. Now that her hair was out of the ponytail, it reached down to her bottom. But where were her weapons? Hinata didn't see any weapons at all. But, as usual, her pendent stood out proudly with its light gold contrasting against the deep blue.

"We're here!" Miyuki announced once more, throwing up her arms! "Sorry, we had trouble because we left a little late…"

"No, you're just a lazy woman who likes being late," Sakura corrected, glancing up to her sensei. Miyuki growled at the girl before cheerfully turning to Genma. "So, we're not disqualified, right?" Genma was too busy staring at the bust before him to answer.

'Talking... cleavage…' Genma muttered in his mind as if in a trance.

'Yeah, that's right boobs, you do the talking!' Miyuki thought to her… uh, breasts. **(-squinty eyes- Did I type that right?)**

"Miyuki-sensei, get out of the arena, proctor, start the fight," Sakura coldly ordered, giving every one the holier-than-thou look. Miyuki giggled and jumped away and Genma came to his senses now that the talking breasts were gone.

"The last man—insert Sakura's glare—er, contestant standing wins the match! No rules but fight until two of you can't continue or die! **Begin**!" Genma jumped away as far he could go, knowing these three

were powerhouses. Gaara, Sasuke, and Sakura stood stoically, ignoring the protests of the crowd to move. Sasuke was the first to move by sending out a kunai to each of his opponents. Gaara's sand flew up and absorbed the kunai sending it back to Sasuke, while Sakura nimbly moved to the side to barely miss the weapon.

"Let's see what we've got here," Sakura muttered to herself as Sasuke began to assault Gaara. "One brooding Uchiha and a sand controlling insomniac with an unstable mental condition…" She smiled in an oddly feral way that vaguely reminded her of Miyuki, "Standing around is boring, let's cause a riot!" Running into the two boys, she called out "Hisenbon no Jutsu!" and continued to let ice born senbon rain down on them. Sasuke dodged as best as he could, while sections of Gaara's sand froze in the ice. The insomniac narrowed his eyes at the ice encased sand for a moment before turning back to his opponents.

Sasuke glared at Sakura, who was torn between the two boys. That nuisance got in the way of his little match. He ran up to her, intent to whoop her using Sharingan. That chance was thwarted when Gaara set his sand sailing towards his target. He heard Sakura quietly tsk before disappearing, leaving the sand to run into the incoming Sasuke. The Uchiha angrily bust out of the sand, intent on fighting Sakura. Of course, he was dodging the many strikes Gaara sent at him.

The crowd watched in awe as all three talented ninja brawl. Sasuke couldn't decide who to focus on, and simply just switched targets every now and then. Gaara focused on Sasuke, only paying slight attention to Sakura to dodge her attacks. Sakura was actually rarely meeting her opponents—she simply sent attack after attack sailing through the air. The ice senbon had exploded in random areas of the arena, littering it with pretty crystal formations that would hurt like a bitch to step on.

'Alright, are all of the formations in place?' Sakura wondered, grazing her eyes around the arena. While Sasuke and Gaara fought, she could make sure each of the ice patches were in the correct areas. 'The main crystals are in the star formation, and the lesser crystals are in the mountain formation… good…' The pinkette began to cast a jutsu after ensuring each of the crystals was in place.

"Hyouton: Soudai Kai! Kagakeisei no Yakiyama!" was called out. Instantly, the small ice crystals grew larger into form more recognizable as a closed flower. Sasuke stared at the growing ice formations and moved out of the way. Gaara stood as stoic as ever, silently observing the ice. Sakura smirked.

"Kai!" she called out. Instantaneously the ice crystal flowers opened and a multitude of thorns flew out. Gaara surrounded himself in sand while Sasuke did his best to dodge. Sakura smirked as Sasuke was hit a few times and a few thorns flew into the sand sphere.

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"What jutsu was that?" Haku asked, staring in amazement. Miyuki smirked from behind him.

"Kagakeisei Yakiyama—that's the name shortened—is a technique that further utilizes Hisenbon no Jutsu. It uses the produced ice patches to grow and eject even more Hisenbon. The larger the flower grows the more thorns come out. But it has two large disadvantages," Miyuki informed.

"What would that be?" Hinata asked, turning to Miyuki. Miyuki looked down at the navette.

"First of all, for the 2nd stage to work, each of the crystals must be placed in a correct formation. If even one crystal is misplaced, the entire jutsu could implode," Miyuki answered, looking back at the three ninja fighting. "And secondly, it takes an unimaginable amount of concentration and preciseness to grow the flowers in the way you want them to. The way you grow them affects the thorn pattern." Miyuki smiled. "She messed up a lot in the beginning, and she would exhaust her chakra reserves quickly." Haku watched the woman for a moment before turning back to the match.

-

Gaara shivered in the sand sphere. There was something wet and warm sliding down his cheek…

He shakily raised a hand to his soft face, feeling the blood. He began to shake.

'I'm bleeding…'

'I'm bleeding!'

'I'M BLEEDING!'

And so he began his transformation, far before his actual cue.

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Sakura watched in curiosity at the sphere. A quick glance at Sasuke running up the wall occupied a second of her time before she dragged her attention to Sasuke—not that egg thing.

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke yelled out as his hand engulfed into electricity chirping. He ran down, making a cloud or dust and gravel appear where his hand touched the wall. The Uchiha yelled as he impaled the sphere. Sakura tensed when Sasuke started to struggle to get his arm out of the egg. The Uchiha had at last pulled his arm free, but sand tried to grab him back in. Sasuke caught a glimpse of a demonic eye before he jumped away.

"What the hell is that?" Sakura muttered to herself as she observed the egg. Something inside her was uncomfortably rustling around, as if it was agitated. It could not mean anything good. Sasuke seemed to be rather disturbed as well—he must've seen something. The pinkette looked up to Gaara's team, who all seemed rather fidgety. Why?

Something's not right, she realized. Gaining a hard glaze over her eyes, Sakura leered at the sand egg. Sasuke was already running to hit it, so she might as well help him and do the same. Pulling back her arm like Miyuki had showed her, Sakura focused on pouring all her physical strength into her fist. Miyuki had explained to that before her muscles were strong enough to hit a large boulder without chakra, she should use this variation instead. Chakra packing took much longer to master, and could cause horrible side affects to the muscles unless taught by an expert. Miyuki had sheepishly rubbed the back of her head and mentioned that her best friend had developed the chakra technique, but she supplied the

fundamentals for that chakra variation with her muscle mass. Miyuki had to obliterate a few house sized boulders to prove it.

The only bad thing about this variation was that the user would be a little wobbly from practically storing every bit of their strength into the muscle. Not to mention that if used constantly, it would cause significant muscle damage. Sakura yelled as she drove her fist into the top of the egg as Sasuke hit the side. The collision between her fist and the egg created a loud boom as the sand rippled and began to fissure away.

-

"Nice!" Miyuki complimented with a toothy smile. Her eyes were excitedly open, observing all they could. A could of dust had appeared, blocking most of the view from the crowd.

"How'd she do that?" Haku asked. "Sakura-chan doesn't have that much muscle on her—I don't even think the Hokage has such brute force!"

"It's a little trick I taught her," Miyuki answered, not turning away. "But because it's something I developed, I can't teach males. Their muscles have different mass than females'. Hinata could learn it, but that would mess with the Gentle Fist, right?" Miyuki made an appreciative sound. "It's a little risky to do it that way. If she keeps up with her training, she could probably have enough muscle strength to destroy this very arena in a few strategized strikes."

"Is that possible?" Hinata asked, turning away from the dusty arena. "It would take decades for someone to get enough strength!"

"Not with me, my dear," Miyuki informed. "I'm the one who created the style. What, did you think I was some loon with no taijutsu skills? Hina-chan, it takes more than just speed to be a good swordswoman."

"You fight with swords?" Haku asked, staring at the woman.

"Hush, the fight's clearing up!" Miyuki harshly hissed, surprising Haku. Miyuki's attention was once again directed intensely at the arena, and held more than that easy going look to them. She looked like a true shinobi, the way she was calculating the battle.

-

Sakura gasped as the sand fell away. Sasuke's side was crumbling too. The hunter jumped away before she fell right onto Gaara's kneeled form. The red head was panting heavily and sweat glistened on his brow. Sand clung to his skin, tying to protect him from some invisible force.

-

"Damn it," Baki hissed. "He's ruining everything! Temari, Kankuro, get him out of here!" Sending the signal, the undercover ninja preformed the sleeping genjutsu.

-

Miyuki looked up at the falling feather. "Are?" she wondered to herself. Glancing over to her companions, she saw them securely asleep. "Genjutsu!" she hissed. Muttering a 'kai,' she broke the genjutsu. She left Hinata and Haku asleep, knowing it would be safer for the two. Miyuki teleported over to Kakashi, knowing he was an ally.

"Kakashi," Miyuki addressed. "This is not good. We have to get out of here. I knew Sakura was right—Sand and Sound are not to be trusted." Glancing at the man from the corner of her eye, she batted away an attacking Sand ninja. "Wake up that Naruto kid and the pineapple head. Now. I'll slap away any unwanted guests. And wait for Sakura to get up here. She'll be important for this." The copy cat glanced at her before following the woman's orders. The steely dull in her eyes told him she had much more experience with these types of things.

-

"What the hell!" Sakura yelled out as she dodged a ninja. Backing up to Sasuke, she muttered in his ear. "This is an ambush, Sasuke! Watch your back. Not everyone is as they seem!" Sasuke grunted. Baki jumped down, preparing to launch himself at the two ninja. Genma appeared right on time though, blocking him.

"Sasuke, Sakura, you two are now official Chuunin. Sasuke, go and follow those three." Genma pushed Baki farther as Sasuke leapt off.

"Idiot!" Sakura growled. "Can you handle him?" she asked the brunette. Genma grunted and threw Baki away. "I take that as a yes." The pinkette leapt up to her teacher, surprising everyone.

"Tsu-chan, nice to see you've made it." Miyuki sent a smirk. Sakura grunted icily as he serious façade appeared. It was time to take this like she had in Wave. The same steely look came to her eyes, but it had more fire.

"Sasuke's left to pursue the three Sand shinobi," Sakura informed.

"Alright! I knew this would happen," Miyuki cheerfully stated. "You did too. Now, you guys are going to go after those four, get it? No jounin will be accompanying you, alright?"

"How are we gonna get out of here?" Naruto asked. Miyuki smirked heartily as Gai flew in and blasted a ninja away.

"Only one way, of course!" Miyuki chirped; pulling her fist back and watching Gai do the same. Smiling at the greener man, she sent her fist sailing in time with Gai. Sakura wordlessly pulled Naruto away from the rubble's path. "_Nice_!" Miyuki complimented, giving Gai a thumbs up. Gai blushed a bit and sent a tooth ping.

"Follow Sasuke and bring him back," Kakashi ordered. Sakura sent a glance at the man, but listened nonetheless.

"You heard the man, move!" the pinkette barked out. The two boys jumped away.

"Sakura, wait," Kakashi halted. "Take Pakkun with you; he's an excellent tracker." The copy nin bit his thumb and summoned the little tan pug.

"Oi, Kakashi," Pakkun greeted in his older voice.

"Hey Pakkun. I need you to track Sasuke for me," Kakashi informed, handing the pup a piece of cloth. The little dog smelt it and nodded.

"I have the scent. Girl," he sounded, looking up at Sakura.

"Sakura, Pakkun," Sakura corrected. The little dog shrugged and leapt off with Sakura beside him to catch up to the two boys.

"Ah, there goes my student," Miyuki sighed, going starry. Smiling a little and closing her eyes she laid a hand on Gai's bicep. "Ready to kick some ass, Youth-chan?" Sending a dangerous glance his way that made Gai swoon in youth, she jumped off to destroy any intruders.

"What a youthful woman, Kakashi!" Gai complimented as he watched the albino plow through ninja. Kakashi watched Gai's amazed face with a curious eye.

'I wonder…' Kakashi thought to himself, imagining two _specific_ people in Icha Icha…

"Ohoho," he giggled to himself. Gai cried anime tears, mulling about how hip Kakashi was.

-

Sakura had successfully caught up with Naruto and Shikamaru. Pakkun ran in front of them.

"I can pick up his scent, but… wait." Pakkun halted, causing the other ninja to stop as well. "We're being followed." Sakura stopped and stuck her face into the air.

"Yeah, we are," she confirmed. "I whole group of them too. What're going to do? We can't just fight them—Sasuke will get too far ahead, but if we keep going we'll be ambushed."

"It'll mean…" Naruto began, looking downward.

"Someone will have to sacrifice themselves," Sakura finished for him, not affected in the least. How many times had this situation been forced onto her?

Shikamaru slowly raised his hand. "I'll go."

"Shikamaru, why?!" Naruto yelled. The brunette stared at the blonde.

"My Kagemane is best for these types of things, and you two need to get Sasuke," Shikamaru explained. He sighed. "And I just wanted to be a simple guy with a simple life." He turned to go into the opposite direction.

"Thank you, Shikamaru," Sakura murmured. "Stay alive, would you? There doesn't seem to be many strategists in Konoha." Turning away from Shikamaru's back, Sakura began to leap off. Naruto turned away as well, but more slowly. Once Shikamaru was alone, he groaned to the sky,

"Mendokuse."

-

"Alright!" Miyuki yelled as she blasted a nameless shinobi into the wall. She was currently in the infirmary, trying to locate Neji. She had estimated that there were only a few more rooms to go. If only these annoyances would stop popping up! "Haaa!" she breathed as she threw he fist into a Sand ninja's gut. She blasted into a room, seeing Neji doing his best to hold off a Sound ninja. Miyuki sent a round house to the ninja's head, snapping his neck.

"Miyuki-san?" Neji asked as he was pulled into the arms of Miyuki.

"Hey Screw-chan," Miyuki chirped, winking. Neji glared slightly at his nickname.

"What's happening?" Neji asked as Miyuki carried him out of there. True, he was a Hyuuga, but Miyuki refused to release him.

"Sand and Sound have turned on us," Miyuki informed as she jumped over a few dead bodies. "Brood-chan has left in pursuit of the three Sand gennin, and Tsu-chan, Naru-chan, and Pineapple-chan have left in pursuit of _him_." Neji nodded, understanding. It seemed like Miyuki had a name for everyone. "Right now we're fighting off the forces, and we're doing pretty well. Hina-chan and Ha-chan have been taken to a safer place along with the other civilians. I don't know a thing about how Konoha protects everyone after that though. But I do know I'm dropping you off to the safe houses then joining Youth-chan out in the field.

"But I—" Neji was interrupted by a shout from Miyuki. A ninja had suddenly appeared before them, and had hit Miyuki's arm with a kunai.

"Fuck!" Miyuki cursed. Growling at the ninja, she switched Neji into her damaged arm and sailed a fist into the ninja's face. Her fist went through his head, sending brain and flesh behind him and onto the wall into a nice splatter. Neji only watched as Miyuki shook off the entrails and set off again with no regret. "You're not fighting, Screw-chan," Miyuki ordered. "This is way above your level, and I'm not having you get killed out here. Plus, Tsu-chan would skin me alive if you died. She's rather protective of you, Hina-chan, and Ha-chan." Neji quieted, contemplating why Sakura would be protective of them.

"To your left!" he suddenly called out, his Byakugan activated. Miyuki pivoted quickly to deliver a killing blow.

"Arigatou!" Miyuki thanked, continuing to the safe houses. "Man, those eyes are useful. I wish ours did that."

"You have a bloodline?" Neji asked. Miyuki shrugged as best as she could.

"Well, I'm not allowed to say much about it, but it is what made the Setsugekka clan so feared." Miyuki smirked a small bit. "Tsukihigan is a rather confusing kekkai genkai. Sorry, but I'm not really allowed to say much." Neji nodded, not knowing why. Was it that powerful it needed to be kept in secret from everyone?

"Get ready, Screw-chan," Miyuki announced. You get off here, so don't get lost. If you die, I'll resurrect you and murder you then revive you and make you clean up your remains as well as my own." Miyuki gave a small chuckles as she entered the store houses.

"Arigatou," Neji thanked. Miyuki waved it off.

"It's fine," she stated. "All right, I need to go and fight now. Watch out for anything suspicious, okay?" Neji nodded and Miyuki saluted him. The brunette watched as the albino leapt off into the soon coming carnage before heading into the darkness of the safe house.

-

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled as he lay on a branch. She leapt over to him, pulling him up. He had a small trail of blood dripping from his mouth. "Ugh, you over exerted yourself, didn't you?" Sighing, frustrated, she propped him up onto the trunk of the tree. Glancing back to Gaara and Naruto she saw Gaara in his half transformed state. Something inside her pulled angrily, almost like she had to automatically scorn his form. Shaking her head, Sakura treated to the wounds Sasuke had accumulated.

"S-Sakura," Sasuke breathed out. Sakura hushed him. "What-what's happening…?"

"Naruto is fighting Gaara right now," Sakura told him. "It was a stupid move Sasuke. If we hadn't come when we had, you'd be dead." Sasuke only glanced up to her. Sakura sighed and turned around, only to see Gaara running towards them. Something inside her growled.

**Insignificant ****little vermin!**

Snarling automatically (what possessed her to do _that_?) she put out her hands in a claw form. Catching Gaara's hand in own (somehow she was able to grab his sand claw) and pushed. They engaged in a small pushing war, Sakura and Gaara both snarling in an animalistic way. Sakura's pupils appeared to be slit and she radiated dark power.

"Little nuisance, learn your place!" Sakura growled, her voice deep and low. Gaara seemed to become agitated and push more. Sakura's footing was slipping. Sasuke watched these two with an indescribable face. It was like watching two demons! Sakura's eyes bled ice blue and she pushed Gaara back a few inches.

"Little bitch!" Gaara hissed as he pushed harder. Their foreheads were touching, letting the two gennin stare into the other's eyes. Sakura grit her sharper teeth. Naruto landed by Sasuke, bringing him to an area farther away from the two.

"What's going on with her?" Naruto asked, afraid. "It' like what happened during the Prelims!" Sasuke looked at Naruto, not knowing what happened. Naruto saw his look and decided to explain. "Ino used her technique on Sakura-chan and Sakura-chan pushed Ino out and almost killed her." Sasuke widened his eyes and the two boys turned back to the fight.

"Eryah!" Sakura screeched. Gaara had managed to pull a fast one on her. His demonic hand had caught her, and slammed her into a large tree forcefully. She knew a few of her ribs and bones were broken. The last thing she saw before falling into unconsciousness was Gaara's haunted jade eyes, Naruto's blue, fierce ones, and Sasuke's stony black ones.

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"Welcome back," Tsuyuki's haunting voice appeared, jarring Sakura to open her eyes. Once again she was in the hyouden. Little Tsuyuki stood in front of Sakura's form, blank looking as ever. Tsuyuki stared at Sakura, apathy being the only thing present in her gaze.

"What happened?" Sakura wondered, looking into the sky. She narrowed her eyes when she saw that the Waxing Gibbous moon was now blue.

"The Sand boy knocked you out," Tsuyuki answered, walking towards the great gates that led towards the voice. "Come, _she_ wants to speak to you." Sakura faithfully stood, following the smaller pink haired child.

"Tsuyuki?" Sakura addressed. The little girl made a small, empty sound. "Why… why are you _here_?" the hunter asked, gesturing to the hyouden. The child looked back with soulless eyes.

"I have no right to tell you at this moment," she replied. "You will be told eventually. You are far too undeveloped in this stage." The two entered the inky darkness of the cave, but Tsuyuki seemed to be a natural night light. The small girl radiated a dull, pleasant to look at white glow. It reminded Sakura of the lanterns by the seal.

"Hello," the sultry voice purred out. "Welcome back, Hi-chan. You seem to be popping in here more often, wouldn't you say?" Sakura looked into the darkness of the cage.

"What do you want from me?" the older pinkette asked. The voice quieted for a moment before speaking once again.

"I was just wondering how you've been doing as of late," the voice purred out, trying to coax Sakura closer. Tsuyuki stepped in between the bars, climbing up a limb that seemed to be a tail. Tsuyuki glowed from her spot on the voice, but the body of the voice remained silhouetted. The child buried herself in fur, somewhat disappearing from Sakura. Tsuyuki softly gazed at Sakura, observing her in an abysmal manner.

"I've been fine," Sakura replied. "I found Setsugekka Miyuki, just as you had said."

The voice laughed somewhat. "She's quite a person, wouldn't you say?" Sakura nodded slightly. "You sound like you're doing well. Alas, our time is short, Hi-chan. Oh, Hi-chan, before you go…" A shifting sound was head from behind the bars. "Sign this and memorize the symbols. It'll come in great help if you ever need it." A small white scroll rolled out. The kanji for 'wolf' stood proudly on it in black. Sakura rolled it out, only seeing a few names on it. Only the first names were present, though.

"With what?" Sakura asked. 'It's not like I have a pen with me.'

"Blood, of course," the voice purred out as if it a normal thing to say. Sakura snorted and scraped her right index finger on a crystal, letting a small stream of blood pour out. While Sakura signed, Tsuyuki clenched her right hand in the non-seeable fur of the voice.

"Done." Sakura threw the scroll back. "Is that it?"

"Yes," the voice answered with a smile in her tone. "Sayonara, Hi-chan, hopefully we will meet soon." Sakura disappeared and the voice laughed slightly. Tsuyuki opened her hand to look at the small stream of blood that seeped from her right index finger. The pinkette emptily sighed before snuggling into the voice's fur.

"Oyasumi," the voice gently spoke to Tsuyuki, an ice blue eye appearing and watching the small girl fall into sleep from the corner of her eye.

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Miyuki paced back and forth beside Sakura's bed. The pale haired girl had been knocked unconscious by Gaara and gained a few broken bones. She wasn't the only wounded one from the ambush. Many had died, while so many more had been seriously injured. A top of that, Sarutobi had been murdered by Orochimaru. She herself had gained a few nasty gashes, but everything was healed right by the medics in Konoha.

On a brighter note, Haku, Neji, Hinata, Sasuke, Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Shino, Lee, and Tenten all made it out okay. A few of them were in the hospital from a few wounds, but they weren't in any danger of dying. The jounin were all good too. The only person left was Sakura. When she first arrived in the hospital she was immediately sent to the E.R. Her ribs had punctured an organ or two and she had lost a lot of blood.

For three days she had gotten numerous visitors, Haku, Hinata, Neji, Naruto, and Miyuki being the most present. Hiashi had even popped in once or twice to make sure her chakra paths were all right.

It was the fourth day in total, and Miyuki thought it should be about time Sakura woke up. She knew the girl was causing a lot of emotional problems. Neji seemed a bit more snippy, Haku was more resigned and wasn't as cheerful, and Hinata had reverted back to stuttering and being shy and quiet. Even Miyuki, herself, was on pins and needles, not calling anyone by their nicknames!

Sakura must've thought that too.

With a groan, Sakura's eyes fluttered open to see a bright white ceiling. Miyuki gasped in delight.

"TSU-CHAN!" she screamed, alerting a few nurses in the hallway. Miyuki dove onto Sakura, hugging her as much as she could. Sakura's face was in her huge boobs, restricting the pinkette of precious air. "Oh my God, Tsu-chan, don't do that again!" A nurse burst in.

"Miyuki-san," the nurse breathed with a tired smile. "Sakura-san needs her air to stay awake." Miyuki yipped and let the pinkette go, watching all the colors in Sakura's face pale back into off white. The nurse walked over to Sakura and lifted the pinkette's palm. Feeling for a pulse, she began to ask questions. "Sakura-san, do you feel okay?"

"Somewhat," came the hesitant, rasp reply. "I feel groggy and a little lightheaded, and I don't think I'll be able to walk in a straight line." The nurse chuckled and handed Sakura a small glass of water with her free hand.

"Yes, that tends to be the problem usually." Once satisfied with Sakura's pulse, the nurse proceeded to check her lungs. "Anything else odd or out of the ordinary?" Sakura breathed deeply as she thought about how she felt.

"No, that's it. Well, I do feel hungry and a little woozy and sore, but that's it." Giving the nurse back the glass, she sighed. "How long have I been out, Miyuki-sensei?"

"Three _days_," Miyuki groaned dramatically. "Three whole days. Actually, you really need a bath." Experimentally Sakura sniffed herself, only to recoil. "Yeah, ew. I know." The three women laughed—well, Sakura kind of chuckled instead.

"We have a small hot spring for rejuvenation after an extended unconscious period," the nurse happily chirped, mood brightened by the teacher and student.

"Oh, thank you," Miyuki smiled. Sakura sat up, swinging her legs slowly off the bed.

"So who's going to help me walk?" she joked, reaching out her hand for assistance. The older women laughed a bit before grabbing the pinkette and leaving.

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"Oh," Sakura uncharacteristically moaned. The hot water was relaxing all her stiff, unused muscles. "It's feels so good; like you've walked in the desert and you've finally found your oasis."

Miyuki laughed as she sunk farther down into the water. "Everyone's been worried, you know," she mentioned quietly. Sakura raised a brow.

"Why? It's not like I'm important to them or anything—"

"Chigau!" Miyuki interjected. "They've all been worried! Ha-chan's not as happy, Screw-chan's snappy, Hina-chan's shy again…" Miyuki trailed off as Sakura rose a brow at Neji's nickname. "We all felt like something was missing, y'know? Hell, even **HIASHI** came!" Sakura jerked back slightly.

"Really?" she quietly asked.

"But that's not the point," Miyuki stated. "The thing is that you're up now, right? Let's focus on the happy things!" Smiling evilly, she splashed Sakura. Sakura sputtered and sent a wave back. The small enclosed bath was filled with happy squeals and splashing.

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"Sakura-chan!" Haku yelled as he ran down the hall. Hinata, Neji, and, surprisingly, Hiashi and Hanabi followed behind him. He slammed the door open, revealing Sakura sitting by the flower littered window pane and Miyuki fiddling with the pinkette's long river of hair. The two women turned, and Sakura considerably brightened at her visitors.

"Sakura-chan!" Hinata called, running past Haku and onto Sakura, knocking her unbalanced for a bit. She wrapped her arms around the pinkette, crying a little. "I thought you'd never wake up!" Sakura patted the navette's back.

"Sakura-san," Neji breathed out. Sakura looked up at the brunette.

"SAKURA-CHAAAN!" Haku wailed, flying on top of the pinkette.

"OOF!" Sakura pushed out, slowly turning colors from both Hinata and Haku handing on her. "Help me!" She harshly whispered to them, out of breath and turning redder. She started to turn purple and Hiashi chuckled. Soon that chuckle became a laugh, and that laugh became two as Miyuki joined in. The scene was funny, what could they say? Sakura was all red and trying to get out, Haku and Hinata were handing on her as if their lives depended on it, while Neji tried to save Sakura. Neji pulled off Hinata, causing Haku to come off as well. Sakura stood up and took a loud breath, trying to save her lungs. Her face began to fade back to its normally pale color, like it had when Miyuki squished her.

"I LIVE!" Sakura yelled out in a burst of OCC-ness. Thrusting her hands above her head, she continued to breathe in loudly. Haku and Hinata were now attached to her legs, while Neji shook his head and contemplated hitting his forehead on the wall. Miyuki held onto Hiashi's shoulder, trying to calm herself. Hiashi was still laughing, but not as hard as Miyuki.

'Ah, childhood,' he mused, watching as his nephew reddened at the hug Sakura have him and Haku and Hinata still attached to her body.

-

"What happened in the forest, Sakura-chan?" Haku asked as the five children sat in a circle on Sakura's bed.

"Well, we chased after Sasuke and those three Sand nin," Sakura began. "After awhile we were being followed, so Shikamaru gave himself up to ambush them—he's still alive, isn't he?"

"As alive and troublesome as ever," Neji mumbled. Sakura chuckled a bit.

"After that we found Sasuke. He had exerted himself and was crumpled on a tree." Sakura scowled for a moment. "Baka wasn't hurt too bad, but his chakra was slow and he…" Sakura bit her tongue to stop herself from saying 'in the first stage of the Curse Seal.' "He… was sluggish. After that I went into a pushing war with Gaara and I got a little fuzzy." The pinkette rubbed her temples as if doing so would make the memories reappear. Her friends looked between each other, worried. "Then he pulled a fast trick on me and knocked me out when he slammed me against a tree… I think."

"Was there anything else?" Hanabi asked. The two had become fast friends with Sakura's constant visits, their shared interest with training, and their habits. Actually, Hanabi looked up to Sakura as an older sister and role model. (Hiashi had been pretty frustrated that he had lost another Hyuuga to the pink haired Hyuuga-heir stealing menace.)

"No," Sakura shook her head, "nothing that I can remember. I only saw their eyes before I fell out of consciousness." Sakura grew silent with a hardened look in her eyes. "I heard that… the Hokage died. Konoha apparently had the funeral when I was asleep." The small group grew silent in respect.

"I… I heard you made Chuunin!" Hinata chirped, trying to lighten the mood. Haku gasped happily and clapped. Neji grumbled a bit but cast a congratulatory glance at Sakura.

"Aa, that _was_ my goal, after all." Sakura felt a little bit of pride swell up in her chest. Sakura surveyed the people in the room closely for a moment. These were the people she had grown the closest to, the ones she could entrust anything to. She had come very far from Missing Hunter Nin to Konoha Chuunin. It amazed her sometimes.

"How about when the hospital lets Sakura go, we all go out to that big new restaurant?" Miyuki offered; a devilish smile set on hr face. Sakura shrugged, not really caring. Neji grunted, also not caring, while Hinata and Hanabi nodded with a smile. "I guess we're going then!" she chirped, glancing at Hiashi's face. The man knew what was coming.

"Alright," he groaned, "I'll pay." Miyuki whooped in happiness Sakura and Neji sighed at the albino woman.

"I love this whole reunion thing and all," Sakura began, looking at all her visitors, "but I _seriously_ need to get out of the hospital." Miyuki chuckled as Sakura tried to stand, but failed miserably. The pinkette cursed a bit, raising her arms without a command. Apparently the others understood, since Neji and

Haku pulled Sakura up and rested her arms around their necks. The two boys flushed a small bit; Neji's darker than Haku's. At least Sakura was able to walk.

"To food!" Miyuki announced, pointing in a random direction. She even had a TOOTH PING! Sakura sighed while Neji didn't move a muscle. Was Miyuki handing out with Gai? Was that why Gai always had a far away look in his eye and sighed dreamily every 10 fucking _seconds_?!

Oh gods.

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Yay! Done! I'm happy with the fight sequence, that I am.

Akire: Is that a possible pairing I smell?

Yuyuko: What would that be?

Akire: MiyuGai!

-silence-

Chocolat: OMG, that's actually POSSIBLE! –disturbed face- It's disturbingly cute in this…

Akayume: How… scary.

Inuyume: THE IMAGES OF THEIR **CHILDREN**! AAAAHHHH!!

Akire: But it has a chance now! –waggles finger-

Chocolat: Dear lords! But I can't believe I actually wrote that. D8

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Sensei—teacher

Hisenbon no Jutsu—Ice Senbon Technique

Hyouton: Soudai Kai! Kagakeisei no Yakiyama!—Ice Style: Grand Release! Flower Bud Formation of the Snowy Mountains!

Chidori—Chirping of a Thousand Birds

Kai—release

Are—huh?

Oi—hey

Kagemane—Shadow Hold

Mendokuse—troublesome

Arigatou—thank you

Tsukihigan—Setsugekka bloodline; Tsukihi means 'time; days; years' or in basic terms, time. Gan is 'eye', and put them together you get Time Eye. Or, it could be Tsuki: moon, Hi: ice and Gan: eye, to make Moon Ice Eye. Either way, the first is the better name for this bloodline, from its powers. But the second is fine as well.

Kekkai genkai—bloodline limit

Hyouden—eternal ice patch

Sayonara—good bye

Oyasumi—good night

Chigau—you're wrong

Baka—idiot, stupid

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Preview

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The Chuunin Exams are DONE! At last! Sakura has successfully become a Chuunin, and can now work alongside Haku. But that doesn't mean all problems are solved. Konoha is without a leader, forcing Miyuki to take some drastic measures while Jiraya and Naruto go look for Tsunade…

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The Hokage is dead, and Konoha is leaderless for the moment. Miyuki takes it upon herself to take the roll of Hokage for a small while. The woman _insists_ Sakura participate in this little activity for reasons unknown. How long will it take until Tsunade is found or Sakura and Miyuki lose their demeanor?

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Please alert me of any mistakes!

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Review please! I stayed up late to finish this. T-T


	7. Chapter 7

Full Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and one Hunter Nin, but two Hunter Nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink…

Disclaimer: No own.

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Wow, I was so happy that I got 7 reviews in less than a day! Boy, my ego is SO going up now. So many reviews to answer!

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Deedee2034—thanks! I'm updating! See?

Pinky101—thanks! I'm glad you do.

Emogurl1234—EGO! EGO IS GOING PSHWOO!

Sakura4Eva—Thanks, oh so loyal reader of mine, you make me so happy. And I like that line too. X3

Layla99—Yeah, go write the next chapter! –poke poke- I've been waiting to Beta!

Sara1965—Did I really take that long? I'm sorry. But here's another update.

xXHyuugaSakuraXx—Thanks, I'll try. Hey, do you know when the 2nd season of Gakuen Alice premiers? I forgot the day.

Erin—THANK YEW. 8D

Starlight-Wild Koneko—Oh, only time will tell! It'll be answered in chapter 8 though! And GO YURI!

Cute0anime0addict—Thanks! THEY ARE HOT! –pets Neji possessively-

DotBrokenWings—Ehe, sorry! I DID warn you though. xD

Kindcrazynarutofan—Ehe, well, I try my best. XP

TragedysLover—Thanks! I feel very proud!

HarunoSakura13—That's my goal, un!

Emeraldvan—thanks!

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Well, I feel awake now. It's better than being a zombie. Hah…

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I just wanted to say that if anyone has any questions or if something confuses them they can ask me… But I'm not spoiling anything.

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I highly suggest you check out Sakura's Lolita picture first! …You'll see why.

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This chapter's inspirational music: Anything with a happy beat, like WAKA LAKA! Or from Tokyo Mew Mew—Koi wa a la Mode!

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Because this is a chapter not at all published in the actual series, everything is made by me! That makes everything so much easier to write.

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Warnings: Cursing

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Page Count: 15

Word Count: 5533

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**Frost**

**Chapter 7**

**Temporary Hokage Miyuki**

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"This is a problem, isn't it, Jiraya?" Miyuki sighed, leaning back on the rail. Two of the elders had sought Jiraya out to become the Hokage, and it just so happened she was with the Toad Sage. "But we all know you're no person to become the Hokage."

"In fact," Jiraya began, a coy smile on his lips, "I have someone in mind. You know her very well, Miyuki." Miyuki gasped in horror.

"You couldn't possibly mean Sake-chan!" Miyuki stared at Jiraya in disturbance. "You know she would crawl into Hell before she took the position as Hokage!"

"But Tsunade is the best candidate," Jiraya said in his defense. "Can you see anyone else leading Konoha?" Miyuki sighed and shook her head. Jiraya turned to the two elders. "I'll set out tomorrow to search for her."

"But Konoha will be leaderless!" an elder informed.

"Well," Miyuki began with a sly smirk, "_I_ could always be the temporary replacement until Sake-chan is retrieved. You know that I've had training for this, having to pilot the Setsugekka clan while _we_ are Head-less." The elders looked between each other.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt," they said.

"The Setsugekka clan is head-less?" Jiraya asked. Miyuki sighed, depressed.

"Jiraya, you should've heard of the Setsugekka Head Massacre." Miyuki sent the old man a glance. Jiraya quieted.

"Now that everything's cleared up," an elder spoke, "Jiraya, you should go now." Jiraya laughed a smidgen.

"Of course. See you." Jiraya poofed away, followed by Miyuki.

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"Tsu-chan!" Miyuki called, shaking the sleeping girl. Sakura had fully healed, but was still a little wobbly.

"Nani ka…" Sakura moaned out from under the covers. The blankets were pulled over her head, leaving only the slightest amount of pink showing.

"Wakey wakey! We have to report to the Hokage's office!" chirped the older albino woman. Sakura growled something incoherent and slowly pulled the covers over her head, only to pull them back up.

Looming over her was a Miyuki adorned in Hokage robes.

"Aw, come on Tsu-chan!" Miyuki cried, shaking Sakura's shoulder some more.

"Once you explain to me why you're wearing Hokage's robes," Sakura growled out, not very pleased she had been jarred from sleep in the early morning.

"Well, the Hokage's dead, and I've taken it upon myself to take the job for awhile!" Miyuki announced, hands on her hips. She had a proud smile on.

"…" Sakura stared at the older woman, silently condemning her. "Why am I needed for your escapade?"

"Datte!" Miyuki whined. "I need an assistant! I can't trust anyone else but you!" Sakura sighed angrily, pushing herself out of bed.

"I will forever scorn you," Sakura growled out, moving to get her clothing for the day.

"Oh, Tsu-chan," Miyuki called. "You aren't wearing your regular clothes today! Today we're going for honorable and flexible!" Sakura only stared in horror at Miyuki. "I picked it out for you, too!" The albino handed the pinkette a package.

"Will… will I regret this?" Sakura mumbled rhetorically. Taking the package, she sped slugged (…how does one sluggishly walk yet go fast?) to her bathroom. The door slammed and locked, and the sounds of rustling were heard from behind the door. Grumbling was paired with angry growls.

"What—what _is this_?!" Sakura shrieked. Miyuki chuckled from her place in the room.

"It's a new style I heard of when I was traveling to Konoha—they call it 'Lolita'. It just so happened they have store or two here that sells that type of clothing!" Miyuki giggled in satisfaction once Sakura groaned once more.

"I hate you," Sakura muttered, stepping out of the bathroom. Miyuki died of cuteness.

Sakura was decked out in a poofy blue Lolita style dress. Because the authoress knows her explanation would be horrible and confusing, she has a link in her profile that shows you the dress. She drew it herself, too! And you get a picture of Hokage Miyuki. But she will describe the basics.

Sakura's dress had countless amounts of layers, all ranging in shades of blue. The sleeves were long and layered, also ranging in the shades of blue. You could see a bit of bloomers she had on, which made the dress poof. She had long stockings on, and her shoes were nice little dress shoes.

Sakura held up a ribbon. "What's this for?" she asked, gazing at the melting Miyuki.

"Just wait and see!" Miyuki chirped, quickly tying Sakura up.

"What the—" Sakura mumbled, trying to free herself. Miyuki neared with a massive curler, scaring the shit out of Sakura. "What are you doing; wait, no, NOOO!!" Miyuki cackled as she assaulted Sakura's hair.

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"OH MY GOD, TSU-CHAN, MARRY ME!" Miyuki screamed, refraining from glomping the pinkette. Somehow Miyuki had managed to tame Sakura's long ass hair into gigantic, tight curls. Even her bangs were curled! To top it off, Miyuki had secured a light blue satin bow one top of Sakura's head that had its ends falling to her back.

"No, I'm still scorning you for demanding I hide my pendant," Sakura rejected, pressing the area where her pendant was hidden under her clothes. The pinkette had fought as much as she could, but in the end lost. It was either take it off or hide it. It's kind of obvious she couldn't take it off, so she opted for hiding it.

"Aw, but Ha-chan, Hina-chan, and Screw-chan will think you're so CUTE!" Miyuki's sentences all seemed to end in squeaks. "Come on—we're going to be late!" Miyuki grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her out of the compound.

'Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this all?' Sakura vaguely thought, careful to make sure her dress didn't get dirty.

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"Huhuhu…" Miyuki chuckled as she sat at the Hokage's desk. It wasn't very different than the Setsugekka clan's work room. Her chuckles died out once she saw the fretfully tall stack of paperwork.

"…So?" Sakura drawled, leaning against a wall. "Are you gonna do that paperwork?" A smirk rose to her face. Oh, glorious payback!

"…Yeah," Miyuki whispered hoarsely. That stack looked more and more vicious every passing moment…

"Ahem?" Sakura smug-fully cleared her throat, smiling evilly. Miyuki shuddered and pulled the top paper off. All the words were so tiny… so many sentences… was the room spinning!?

Looking back up at Sakura, Miyuki found compromise mentally. For every paper she finished, she would look up at Sakura! At least she could gaze at the uber cute Lolita Sakura!

Sakura watched with growing confusion as Miyuki quickly read papers and looked up at her for a moment. Well, it wasn't her problem—as long as Miyuki finished her paperwork, she had no qualms (but what _WAS_ she looking at?).

"Hokage-sama?" a voice from behind the door called out, oddly sounding like Gai.

"Come in!" Miyuki chirped. Gai rushed in with a million volt smile.

"I've just been informed of your temporary position Miyuki-chan!" Gai announced, set in a good guy pose. Miyuki sent her own million volt grin.

"BUT OF COURSE YOUTH-CHAN!" Miyuki gave a hearty laugh. "Yet we cannot forget about my adorable assistant for now!" Gai turned around, literally swamped by stars.

"Sakura-san! How the youth BURNS!" Sakura shivered, edging away from the greener man.

"Gai-sensei?" Neji's voice called out from the hallway.

"Moutaku! Gai-sensei, you can't run off like that!" Tenten yelled, angry. The rest of Team Gai entered the room, surprised to see Miyuki there.

"Miyuki-san?" Neji asked. "What are you doing here?" In the background, Sakura was thanking her lucky stars that the gennin hadn't found her.

"Well, Screw-chan, I've been appointed temporary _Hokage_!" Miyuki drew out 'Hokage'. "And I have with me…"

Sakura squeaked, making a cutting motion with her hand on her throat. She made X's, she shook her head, she even pulled a big 'NO!' sign from thin air, but it didn't stop Miyuki. Actually, if she hadn't been partially hidden by Gai, she probably would've dragged their attentions by herself.

"My ADORABLY CUTE LOLITA ASSISTANT!" The way Miyuki announced it made Sakura sick in the stomach with dread. The entire Team Gai looked at her.

"I'll skin you alive, Miyuki," Sakura growled, glaring at Miyuki. The pinkette had become stiff, and her hands were clenched tightly. She kept her head down, letting her tightly curled locks fall in front of her. She only did this to hide her beet red face. How could she let Neji see her like this!

"…" Neji was speechless. The girl before him looked more like a doll than a killer. Lee was praising her, while Tenten had fallen into the same hole Miyuki had—completely charmed. Miyuki was squealing behind him, apparently thinking of something appealing. It didn't much matter to him until he was picked up and thrown at Sakura.

"Eh?!" Sakura squawked as Neji fell on her. The two ninja fell in a puddle of brown, pink, and blue, squirming around uncomfortably.

"EEEEEE!!" Miyuki squealed as she held onto Gai's muscled arm. "Look how cute!" She gasped in delight. Gai was crying youthfully, while Tenten and Lee embraced, crying at how cute it was, yet how cruel that it was Neji was on Sakura.

"THINK ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN!" Miyuki's loud exclamation shook the two fallen children.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Sakura yelled as Neji mistakenly grabbed her boob. "YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

"I'm sorry! AH, I'M SORRY!" Neji cried, covering his head in a feeble attempt to guard himself. But, hey, her boob felt _nice_…

"Che," Sakura bit out. She pulled him up, and then glared at Miyuki who was raving about children. The Lolita girl turned into a Hell girl, grabbing Miyuki by the collar, forcing the older woman to bend down.

"I'm-I'm sorry!" Miyuki apologized, still squealing about how cute that picture was.

"Iiyagatte," Sakura spoke in a dark voice. Miyuki was not affected though, for her head was filled with pleasant thoughts about Sakura's and Neji's kids.

"Miyuki-san," Gai called with a good guy pose, "we were called here for something! A mission perhaps?"

"NOPE!" Miyuki chirped, sitting herself back in the large plush chair. "I just wanted to show off Tsu-chan," the albino sung. Sakura glared at Miyuki with all her might.

'Die, die, die, die, die, die,' the pinkette chanted in her mind. Maybe is she kept wishing the woman would drop dead at her feet?

"But I guess I can assign you something," Miyuki contemplated, placing a finger on her chin. "Hm… Tsu-chan! Get me a suitable mission! I can't come up with anything!" Sakura increased her praying and glared harder as she swiftly shifted through the many mission folders. She carelessly tossed one over her shoulder, knowing Miyuki would catch it.

And catch it she did. Miyuki grabbed the file out of thin air and quickly skimmed it before shutting it closed.

"Perfect!" she exclaimed, clearly happy with the mission. "You four are to deliver a simple flower arrangement from the Yamanaka to a man named Higurashi Kotoa. He lives in a very large estate just a few miles from Konoha, and needs the flowers for his garden."

"Yosh!" Gai exclaimed with a good guy pose. "Consider it done! We'll be back in a few hours!" Quickly, the man grabbed the mission file and led his youthful students to the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

"…You have seven days," Sakura muttered darkly, a dark shadow covering the top of her face. Miyuki shrunk in fear.

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"You want what?" Sakura asked, aghast.

"I demand some dango or something!" Miyuki hollered, raising a pen. "Doing all this shit takes its toll on my tummy!"

"…God woman, how you survived to this day I'll never know," Sakura mumbled as she felt her _own_ dignity disappear. She slugged out of the office as slowly as possible while she calculated the total percentage of the chance Haku would be out getting dango (or really anyone she knew for that matter—but Haku mostly).

The whispers infuriated Sakura to no extent. Damn these cheery citizens. For a split moment she wished she was still that missing hunter nin, living with the man and boy who had taken her in, and killing those she was ordered to freely.

'No, no, no!' she berated herself as she mentally shook her head. 'I couldn't give anything but my soul to keeping us here and happy.' Though when the Chuunin and other ninja (even those older) started flirting with her; horribly, may she add; did her reserve start to dissolve. Sure, when the little kids came up to her and remarked how she was a very pretty 'dollie', it was… endearing, or dare she say, _flattering_. But when these disgusting creatures (they're called _men_, Sakura-chan, Haku's voice rumbled from the back of her mind) came up to her, expecting her to fall for their dumb assed lines…

"Hey there cutie." Oh look, another _thing_. "How about you and me go play dollhouse somewhere private?"

What.

The.

FUCK.

BAM! And another one bites the dust.

Sakura couldn't feel anymore than ecstatic. Sure, the guy might be rather broken by the end of his flight, and she _might_ get in trouble, but at least she was able to vent her frustrations on that thing.

'And look, it keeps getting better,' she offhandedly mentioned as she walked towards the dango shop. It was relatively empty except for a few scattered people who seemed more interested in the food than her. 'Better for them if they keep it that way.'

The pinkette quickly ordered Miyuki's dango from the menu in front of her. The owner had managed to serve her in five minutes (let us all thank Sakura's 'hurry-up-or-die' glare). Sakura was a very happy girl right then. The pinkette turned around, only to freeze.

Sakura was not a very happy girl right then. Happy no. Panic yes.

There stood Haku in all his feminine glory with Hinata and her team. The brunette was gaping at his follower while Hinata fell into the ditch named 'WE R 4 LOLITA SAKU'. Current inhabitants: Miyuki, Lee, and Tenten.

Sakura reddened like a Christmas light and quickly looked off to the side with a deep scowl. Haku slowly advanced forward, and Sakura retreated for every step he took.

"Sakura… Sakura-chan…" Haku mumbled out, his own cheeks dawning pink. Sakura became squeamish as Haku nearly collapsed on her as a very happy boy. Hinata squealed (a sound her team didn't know she could make) and ran in place. Sakura marched out of the dango shop, only sparing a small hello and goodbye.

"…Was that Sakura?" Kiba asked; mind still not 'in the zone'. Shino slowly nodded, he too not able to grasp reality and mirage. Hinata literally exhausted herself with unbearable adoration and Haku still leant in an odd angle. Kurenai was desperately whispering 'kai!' under her breath.

'…My life is complete and I can die happy,' Haku thought as he slowly fell farther to the ground.

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"HERE'S YOUR MOTHER FUCKING DANGO!" Sakura hollered as she threw the bag onto her teacher's desk. Miyuki raised a brow at the pinkette.

"What, do you have you period or something?" the albino teased. The vase behind her shattered in a few hundred pieces from a sharp senbon thrown at it. "…Okay then! So we can rule menstruation out!" The other vase exploded. '…Actually, let's keep that as our backup reason.'

"Haku-teishu fucking SAW ME," Sakura growled out. "If he is scarred now, it's your entire fault."

"…Oh darn," Miyuki sarcastically mocked as she blew a raspberry. 'Hah!' she thought wickedly. 'This is what Konoha really needs! A LOVE DRAMA! It will be a NejiSakuHaku! WHO WILL WIN THE MAIDEN'S HEART!?' The albino was so lost in thought she hadn't noticed the sudden disappearance of small vases and other breakable things and the _mysterious_ appearance of little glass shards.

"I'll be taking a nice break now," Sakura stiffly informed, leaving the fantasizing Setsugekka to her thoughts. The pinkette slammed the door and sunk down, sighing.

"Hello Sakura-chan!" Kakashi chirped from above her. "What are you doing all dolled up like this?" His cheerful and gay tone made Sakura resent the man even more.

"I have nothing to tell you," the pinkette mumbled, turning her head to the side as she glared. Kakashi sighed and leant against the wall.

"Something happened," Kakashi pointed out, "if you're not only hating me but also slamming a door in anger and sliding down like a weak child, Stoic-san." Sakura growled in anger and slammed her fist on the wall, causing a rather nice indent from Miyuki's muscle training.

"I don't need to tell you anything," Sakura hissed.

"Need or want?" Kakashi asked. Sakura glared at the man. "Being the super special awesome jounin I am, I'm inferring that Haku saw you like," Kakashi swooped his hand across Sakura's clothing, "_this_." Sakura hastily stood up and roughly pushed past Kakashi with a feral snarl spread across her lips.

'Does he have to get it _on the dot_?!' she angrily thought as she marched towards the training grounds. Frustrations had been building up lately and Sakura desperately needed to blow off steam before she hurt someone. And when she 'hurt' someone, their brains probably covered the adjacent wall.

At long last, the agitated pinkette charged into the training grounds. She was going to seriously regret this later on, for loosing her self control and all, but she didn't really care at the moment.

'Anything to keep me from squeezing the life out of Miyuki-sensei,' Sakura thought as she was already tensing herself. 'Damn that woman; it's all her fault!' Crying out in anger, Sakura pivoted her heel and slammed her white knuckled fist into the closest tree. The result was a nice tear in her arm (Sakura was smart enough to tie up her sleeves as she came to the grounds) and a tree with a hole in it. Splinters flew into Sakura's angered face, giving her a small scrape.

"Why did she have to make me do this!?" she cried as she pulled her arm out of the broken tree and giving herself more cuts. "HRAGH!" Spinning quickly, Sakura delivered a blasting blow to the tree's trunk, cutting right through it and into her socks and legs. Blood flowed down her legs and stained the torn pristine white.

"Why does everything I do cause something bad!?" Screeching out in frustrated anger, Sakura pivoted once more and slammed all her strength into a kick the shattered the ground in a small crater. At the far back of Sakura's mind, she knew this wasn't true. Mostly anything she said while frustrated wasn't true, but when Sakura's frustrated, everything she bottled up lately bursts out together, creating a mess of frustration (from not knowing how to deal with her anger), anger (at herself and others), and sadness (for being frustrated for no real good reason and for being angered at her close ones). Normally, she just exploded in a fit of childlike emotion that she had been unable to purge from her being.

Sakura continued to cry out accusations and complaints and questions. She also continued to destroy her body (which quickly healed like she always knew it did), her clothing, and the area around her.

After a good fifteen minutes (though it felt like thirty) Sakura was panting with emotional exhaustion and slight pain. No longer caring about her already shredded dress, Sakura fell to the ground, tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. It was now that she would belittle herself for doing such a childish and unhelpful thing. Slowly, her tears slowed, and her breathing started to regulate. Sleep clawed at the back of her mind, as it normally did whenever she got broke down. A nice, long yawn escaped her lips as she quietly succumbed to her tire. It was good that she was away from the village and in the darker parts of the forested training areas. No one could find her while she slept. Besides, the quiet was always welcomed to her ears.

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"…I'm back," Sakura monotonously drawled as she kicked a bit of snow from her foot. She silently thanked for the new dress she was in—a simple white kimono with black moons and blue clouds.

"Welcome back," Tsuyuki greeted in her drone tone. Sakura quickly noted that the smaller girl was wearing the same kimono as she.

"So, does _she_ wish to speak to me?" Sakura asked curtly, already used to the strange times when Tsuyuki (well, she _thought_ Tsuyuki was the one responsible for bringing her here) dragged her to the large cell.

"Not this time," Tsuyuki replied in her ghost voice. "…Tsuyuki's brought you here for Tsuyuki's own needs."

"Really," Sakura replied, using her own variation of Tsuyuki's voice. And that was rather scary, since she spoke exactly like the smaller pinkette. Tsuyuki looked into her companion's eyes. Nothing was held in her white gaze. Snapping out of a small trance, the little girl looked to the side and fell on her back.

"Tsuyuki wishes to ask questions," the girl whispered as her eyes lidded themselves close to closed, but still open enough to see clearly. Sakura shrugged and also fell to her back. The bleach white snow crunched under her weight.

"…What is it like?" Tsuyuki asked quietly. "Tsuyuki cannot remember the last time she has felt something relating to emotion, other than pain and sadness."

"…" Sakura made a small sound at this information. "…Feeling…" With a small sigh, the pinkette rested her hand over her pendant. "Feeling can be good and bad. Good feelings like happiness and love give you warm feelings that make you feel like you're the luckiest person in the world."

"But…" Tsuyuki continued, sparing the moons above her a quick scan that showed hidden knowledge behind them.

"But, bad feelings like anger and frustration can be bad for you." Sakura gripped her pendant just a little tighter. "Feelings like that can cripple someone's judgment severely, and normally ruin many bonds. Negative emotions can be aimed at mostly anything, like others, items, or one's self."

"Although bad feelings don't do well for anyone," Tsuyuki added.

"Actually," Sakura said in a manner sounding like a chirp, "sometimes having bad feelings towards someone strengthens your bonds. It may reinforce them, since bad things can just improve your trusts."

"…Nn…" Tsuyuki turned to her side and gazed at Sakura with her moony eyes. Sakura stared back wordlessly. The smaller girl softened and threw herself onto Sakura's side.

"What the—"

"_Hold me_," Tsuyuki ordered without her normal 3rd person style and with some sort of implacable emotion in her voice—distress, perhaps?—as she held onto Sakura's side in an awkward hug. "No one except _her_ touches Tsuyuki anymore. Tsuyuki also knows what loneliness feels like." The small girl sounded like she wanted to cry, but no tears fell. The smaller pinkette simply squeezed tighter. "Tsuyuki doesn't want to be alone!"

Sakura was still shocked, only mechanically hugging the smaller girl back. "Okay… I'll hold you. I'll talk to you too—and I'll listen to your pains and tears." That got Tsuyuki. The younger girl screamed out with tears held back for countless years. Sobs painfully racked her chest, stealing any oxygen in her lungs. Sakura could only envelop the girl further and rub her back. Soon, the smaller girl quieted. Sakura could feel the girl's slow breaths, and knew she was sleeping. The pinkette picked up the small girl and carried her into the only place she knew where to go—the voice's lair.

The walk was very quick, and Tsuyuki's light she produced seemed to be lighter than it normally was. It had only taken a very small amount of minutes to reach the towering crystalline gates.

"Hi-chan?" A large icy eye opened and rolled to Sakura and Tsuyuki. "What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here, into the dark?"

"…She's fallen asleep," Sakura pointed out dully. The voice laughed quietly. A large, fluffy white tail slid out from the bars' gaps. "Put her here."

Sakura gently placed Tsuyuki on the tail. The smaller girl shifted and muttered sleepily.

"…Nn… Onee-sama…"

Sakura smiled fondly at the girl and the eye widened minutely.

'So, were things progressing faster than we expected,' the voice mused as she pulled the girl into the cage and onto her furry back. "Thank you, Hi-chan. I suppose it's your time as well to wake?"

"Yes, but first, I have a question," Sakura answered. The voice gave an elegant syllable as a sign to proceed. "How do I get here? I mean, the only times I can remember getting here is when I'm knocked out, or sometimes when I fall asleep. But even then, sometimes I have weird visions. What's going on?"

"…Hm," the voice began, collecting its thoughts, "you are normally brought here when either of us wishes it. You could get here on your own, I suppose, but that would take a lot of concentration. As for the visions… I can't help you with those."

Sakura began to ask another question, but she suddenly disappeared.

"Yes, I'm afraid I truly can't help you with those," the voice gently murmured and its eye rolled to its back to see Tsuyuki. "Only she has the privilege of sharing that information."

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"…_and_ how the hell did I end up in a hospital?" Sakura asked as she stared at the bleach white ceiling above her. She had woken up a minute ago, and was now fully aware, thanks given to Miyuki's crushing hug. Her—now obliterated—dress was long gone, and she was now wearing a simple white gown.

"We found you passed out in a destroyed training field," Ino informed. "We tried waking you up, but you wouldn't wake."

"And when someone doesn't wake up, you obviously bring them to a hospital," Shikamaru continued. With a sigh, he stretched and mumbled, 'mendokuse'.

"Oh," Sakura intelligently said. "Sorry for troubling you... thanks." Ino shook her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Don't mention it," spoke the blonde. "We were just helping out a fellow gennin—"

"Ino, Sakura was promoted to Chuunin with Sasuke and me," Shikamaru informed. Ino gasped.

"No way! Congratulations!" Ino shook Sakura's limp hand with gusto.

"...Thank you?" Sakura awkwardly thanked, slightly bouncing from the force of Ino's shake.

"I hate to break up this," Miyuki broke in, "but Tsu-chan and I have some stuff to finish up at the Hokage Tower." Sakura sighed in distaste as she pulled herself out of the bed. Her giant mass of wavy/curly hair followed, now loosing its perfect form from her freak out earlier. Team Asuma bid the pair farewell as they too left.

"…I—" Sakura began.

"You don't need to explain," Miyuki interrupted. "Let's just go back and work like normal and forget it happened." Sakura quieted down at Miyuki's alien tone.

It sounded like she was angry at herself and guilty.

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The next few days were horrible. Miyuki seemed back to her cheerful self. She had also purchased Sakura more Lolita styled dresses, much to the pinkette's chagrin. Haku still seemed in 'Malfunction Mode'. And don't let Sakura get started when she had pulled an all-nighter and accidentally fell asleep on Neji, causing both Gai and Miyuki to cry at the youth of their students.

Hinata and Tenten were still in their obsessed phase, Ino now joining their ranks.

And the constant flirting wasn't helping Sakura any either.

"Naruto!!" Sakura yelled out to the sky. "Hurry up and bring Tsunade back already!!"

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YAY, I'm actually updating. I have a reason to be late.

The first week of April was really bad—a classmate and old friend died on the 2nd, and the whole grade practically shut down for the week. I only went to his Wake service though, but eve n that was too much.

The second week was still bad, and I was in no mood to write—I knew the entire chapter, I just couldn't type it down. Instead, I decided on working on art. And I have finished a cover for Frost. Go look at the link.

Now it's just hell, because everyone's worrying about the NJASKs—the big NJ test the state takes. It really makes a big impact on your grade. I'm scared shitless at the Math section—even though our Honors teacher says we'll be taking the 7th test and not the 8th, I'm still worried—we're using an 8th practice packet, but I still think I'm gonna bomb big time. 7th may be easier, but I'm still scared. DX

I did this just so I could get it out before next week—NJASK week. BLEH.

That explains my delay. See?

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This chapter had some happy in it. Next chapters and chapters to come probably won't be very happy, since it's 'Sasuke's Betrayal'. YEAH. And some more shit will happen. And, oh yes, this'll get you pumped:

THE VOICE WILL BE REVEALED! WOOT.

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Sorry that this is shorter than usual—I'm still not too happy. With NJASKS to worry about, and the death still nipping at me, I'm not in the mood. Hopefully this seems somewhat readable.

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Nani ka—what?

Datte—because

Moutaku—Geez!

Iiyagatte—Don't try that shit on me

Yosh—yeah!

Kai—release; the command used to dispel genjutsu

-teishu—master

Mendokuse—troublesome

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Preview

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Sakura is horribly burdened with Miyuki's new post, driving her to temporary unstableness. After beating herself into submission, Sakura talks with Tsuyuki. The smaller pinkette asks about emotion, and ultimately reveals her unbearable loneliness and sadness. Sakura has discovered that the voice and Tsuyuki have to do with her being dragged into the hyouden now and then, but why, is the new question. Will she ever get her answers? Will Naruto ever find Tsunade? Will Haku survive?

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The days roll by. Not soon enough in Sakura's opinion, Naruto comes back with Tsunade. But, why the hell are her teacher and the new Hokage hugging? WHAT?! You knew each other?! Hold on, Sasuke, where are you going!? OROCHIMARU!? Oh no, send out a retrieval team!

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Please alert me of any mistakes!

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Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Full Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and one Hunter Nin, but two Hunter Nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink…

Disclaimer: No own.

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My god, this story seems very popular! I have an average of about 10 reviews per chapter! I hope we can get up, and if possible, higher than 150 reviews! Oh my god, if we get _higher_ than that, I'll explode in a fit of happiness. xD

Let's focus on 100 for now though.

Nejisakura—Thanks! Love your penname, by the way.

H3rshey675—thanks!

Layla99—Lol, me too!

DotBrokenWings—Thanks so much!

Blossomheartxoxo—Thanks.

Kindcrazynarutofan—don't be so angry at Miyuki… She couldn't help herself!

Pinky101—thanks!

Crimson-rose-blossoms—Wow! Thanks.

Cute0anime0addict—Thanks! xD I did draw a picture of her y'know.

xXImaginary0LullabyXx—Don't worry—I didn't save Haku to kill him later on! He will survive.

Emogurl1234—Thanks! Really?! That makes me so happy!

Sakura4eva—that makes another person into the club!!

xXHyuugaSakuraXx—yeah, there are all kinds of things going around—some say it was supposed to come out in March, while others say there won't be one, so it's hard to tell. I'm checking up on it every now and then.

Starlight – Wild Koneko—Thanks! Yeah, not too much Hinata, but we can infer she was building a shrine in her closet of Sakura behind the scenes. xD Ehe! Who knows? Besides, romance isn't the real component in Frost—that would be _Thaw_, the sequel! Frost is to introduce the characters and set a setting and plot.

H3rshy675—Thanks!

HyuugaSeirei—Thanks very much!

silverlonewolf—Teehee! I make your brain go 'splody! Thanks!

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Ugh, it's just busy, busy, BUSY! I'm telling you, I'll go about insane if I can't get a break! Too much stress… OH! I've also drawn another picture for Frost! Link in profile, as always!

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I have a question—did anyone like the hyouden scene with Sakura and Tsuyuki? I was kinda disappointed that no one mentioned it—I worked hard on that to make it flow well, dammit! I want to know if you like Tsuyuki's revealed character.

Thank you 13th Hour for the summon idea! I love 'ya! XD

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Y'know, since I can't remember anything from this section, everything's going to be all me. Haha! I only know that Sasuke leaves and joins Orochimaru while everybody chases after him and shit. And Tsunade comes and stuff…

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Musical Inspiration: Touhou tracks (especially from Kasokusouchi) and tracks from Mindless Self Indulgence

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Warnings: **Extreme** gore at end. LOTS OF IT!

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Page Count: 20

Word Count: 8268

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**Frost**

**Chapter 8**

**Hello Tsunade! Good Bye Sasuke!**

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Sakura's ghastly face laid on a pile of papers, freshly signed and ready to be shipped out of the Hokage's office. It had been at least three or four days since Naruto had left, and Sakura was almost ready to slit her wrists. Miyuki wasn't as bad as her, but the woman was ready to attack the next liquor store she set her sights on (Sakura would join her, of course). Haku came in to help a few times, along with Hinata and Neji. They were a big help to the mountains of things to do.

Life had somewhat formed a small balance. She would wake up in the Hokage's office, go home, change, go back to the tower, help Miyuki with work, get food, more work, _maybe_ dinner, and more work until she fell asleep. Repeat for a few days, and Sakura wasn't a very happy girl. She needed more sleep than she ever thought possible, and she was sure she needed a good work out once this was all over. Constant trips to the dango shop had taken its toll on her flat stomach, giving it a small weight, which was **not** acceptable.

The pinkette slowly lifted her face from the white sheets, quietly becoming more aware of her surroundings. Tsuyuki gave her a complimentary kick start, now interacting with Sakura more after her small confession. The smaller girl inside her head was rather useful during this time—she would normally alert Sakura before she ran into a pole or something.

_Pole_, came the monotonous warning from the back of her mind. Sakura yelped lowly as she dodged to the side.

'Thanks,' Sakura said to Tsuyuki. The smaller pinkette brushed over Sakura's mind with her version of a hug, giving Sakura a bit more of warmth. It was a snuggly kind of warmth that you got when you hugged your favorite stuffed animal or your cute pet. It made Sakura giggle mentally, since she would never giggle for other people to hear. She walked slowly, trying not to walk into walls. She was supposed to deliver these papers to the gate guards. She had just left Miyuki's office—which was completely in disarray and smelt of sake and dango. Miyuki had forced Sakura to drink the alcohol once when she had been hammered, and the pinkette had to admit it helped her a lot on the busy, stressful day. It came with a killer headache though.

The day was bright, much to Sakura's chagrin as she left the building. Her current outfit—something resembling her usual kimono but just with more lace than she could ever imagine—was easier to move around in at least and she didn't feel so hot all the time. The pinkette took to the shadowy sides of the streets canopied with trees as she embarked on her tiring trip to the gate. She hadn't been as reflexive as she normally was, thanks to bad amounts of sleep and headaches, so she had to rely on Tsuyuki when she fell half asleep.

At last, the gate was inside her sight. Relief washed over her being as she neared the small stand.

"The reports are finally in?" one of the guards asked, Sakura recognized him as Izumo, the brown haired jounin who had disguised himself as a chuunin during the exams. Kotetsu had been the other disguised chuunin, who was also on guard duty. Sakura rolled her white orbs and plopped the large stack on their desk.

"Yeah, things are rather hectic in the Tower," Sakura answered. "Papers are just filing in. Some of our allies are beginning to doubt our place in power with this whole invasion, not to mention all the paperwork for reconstruction and casualties Orochimaru cost us. God, the Chuunin Exams just dropped the bomb on us." Both Kotetsu and Izumo laughed at the dry humor.

"Yeah, I still wonder how it would've felt if I had been hit that time," Kotetsu commented, referring to the Chuunin Exams when they had blocked the wrong door. "After seeing you in the Exams, I'm pretty sure I should appreciate that Lee kid taking the blow for me—how is he, anyways? I heard he's really messed up." Sakura looked down sadly. Lee's injury had cost him his life as a ninja for sure. Both his arm and leg were going to be lame unless they got a miracle worker. Kotetsu picked up the message and gave a small prayer for the wounded ninja.

"Well," Sakura began after a pregnant silence, "I hope Naruto comes back soon. We're all going to die—Miyuki's about ready to get hammered big time." Sakura sighed and looked off into the road she and Haku had travelled on to get here only a month or two ago. Time sure went fast.

"I'm sure he'll come soon with Lady Tsunade," Izumo ensured. Sakura nodded slowly as she spotted a few black figures in the distance.

"Oh my god, please, _please_ be Naruto and that old dude!" Sakura uttered, walking towards the spots. When the shortest dot hopped up and down and yelled, Sakura knew her days of torture were over. The yell was loud enough to be heard from where she was, and only one blond ninja could yell like that…

"THANK THE GODS, IT **IS** NARUTO!!" Sakura screamed to the high heavens, running out of the safety of the shade and to the dots. "NARUTOOOO!!" The smallest dot jumped high and ran towards Sakura, slowly shaping Naruto. The excited blond was waving his arms madly, shouting.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Me and Ero-sennin found baa-chan—I-I mean Tsunade!!" Naruto had looked over his back, seeing if the roundest dot had heard him yell 'baa-chan'. Sakura shook her head, not really caring about that Tsunade woman.

"Oh well! Just tell them to hurry! Konoha is slowly falling every minute Miyuki is still in charge!!" Sakura swept her arms in a dramatic manner, probably so high on euphoria of their return and her upcoming relaxation she didn't notice she acting like Naruto would.

'At last, sleep will once again be in my reach!' Sakura cheerfully looked forward to the experience of a nice, long nap. Tsuyuki agreed quietly.

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"Miyuuuukiiiii!!" Sakura sang happily as she spun into the room. Inside the office was Miyuki (who stared in shock), Haku (who _was_ recovering from his first experience, but was sent back into the Shock Stage), Hinata (who hid under a desk, fearing the apocalypse was coming), and Neji (who closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose). "Look who's baaack!" The pinkette giggled uncharacteristically. Haku held his head and screamed as he ran around in circles. Miyuki glanced at the empty sake bottle beside her with a freaked out countenance, then pushed it away slightly. Hinata silently began writing her will.

Naruto popped into the room, followed by Jiraya and the busty blonde. Miyuki stared at the woman with a cattish smile.

"Sake-chan—how nice to see you again," Miyuki sung. Tsunade smirked and crossed her arms.

"Very nice to see you as well, Miyuki," Tsunade replied. Jiraya plopped down on a chair, sighing. Sakura looked at the two women, questioning.

"How do you two know each other?" Sakura asked. Miyuki smiled and looked up to the ceiling thoughtfully, placing a finger to her chin.

"Well, many years ago, we met in the oddest of conditions…"

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FLASHBACK

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Young Miyuki trudged through the snow of Yuki. She, like her family of the Setsugekka clan, wore short, revealing clothing, since she was already uniformed with the element of ice. The winds blustered on her cheeks and blew her hair to the west. Her dull grey eyes surveyed the snow laden area before her. A spark of yellow appeared in her vision, beating through the chill of Yuki. Miyuki raised an elegant brow and smiled faintly. She silently walked towards the speck of blonde, which had begun to form a young woman who had dressed heavily. This woman looked up at Miyuki, guarding her sharp eyes with her arm.

"Who are you?" a younger Tsunade asked rudely. Miyuki snickered at Tsunade's worn appearance. Tsunade's vein throbbed angrily.

"One shouldn't prowl Yuki's lands unless they're substantially ready for the cold winds and snowstorms," Miyuki teased, standing with on arm on her hip and the other hanging freely. Tsunade glared openly—who did this girl think she was? What was she—seventeen, eighteen? And she was scolding _her_, **the** Tsunade! The woman who destroyed mountains with a single punch! "Anyways, I'm called Setsugekka Miyuki."

"Se-Setsugekka!?" Tsunade choked out. So _that's_ who she thought she was. Suddenly, the teenager seemed a lot more intimidating.

"Yep," Miyuki chirped. "So… What brings a Konohan to this section of Yuki, eh?" Tsunade looked off to the side. "Oh, before you answer that, come on—there's shelter nearby." The silver haired girl grabbed Tsunade's arm and led her to a hidden cave.

"Thanks," Tsunade spoke, shivering. "For your question—I'm… travelling."

"Eh?" Miyuki gasped. "Travelling? My dear—I would loose the headband first. Without proper documents, travelling in any country while belonging to Leaf is dangerous for your health." Tsunade growled angrily at the younger girl's intellect and removed her hitae-ate. Miyuki smiled.

"So, what are _you_ doing?" Tsunade venomously spit out. Miyuki stared out into the snow sadly. Tsunade instantly regretted saying it in such a nasty tone.

"I'm… searching for someone…" Miyuki admitted sadly. "Have you heard of the Setsugekka Head Massacre?" Tsunade shook her head negative. "I thought so… we're trying our best to keep it secret. Well… a month ago, our Lord, Lady, and their older daughter were murdered. The younger daughter—the heiress—went missing, during the murders, and I've been sent out to find her."

"Oh… I'm… sorry, I never thought it was something of this measure…" Tsunade was feeling really guilty now. "But you're so young to be out like this…" Miyuki tilted her head to the side.

"Young? I've twenty-one."

"WHAT?!" Tsunade screeched. Miyuki laughed.

"I've always looked younger than I really was. Such a curse—I keep having young guys fallin' for me when I'm not interested in someone sixteen." Tsunade stared in disbelief before falling into giggles. "No, really!" Miyuki shouted, staring at Tsunade. "They go all out—flowers, jewelry, gifts—even cheesy teddy bears!" Tsunade only laughed harder. "And I thought you would understand my pain."

"Hu-huh?" Tsunade asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Well, I thought, you know… 'cause you're so pretty…" Miyuki looked off to the side, blushing slightly, "You would've known how annoying it was to have fanboys!"

"P-pretty!?" Tsunade yelled. "What do you mean—I never had that problem! I wasn't pretty!" Miyuki stared at Tsunade, wearing an annoyed face.

"Haven't you looked in a mirror?" Miyuki asked. "I think you're quite beautiful. If anything, the guys were just shy!"

"Pfft, probably," Tsunade snickered. "I probably scared 'em all away with my monster strength." Miyuki perked up, interested.

"Monster strength? Awesome!" Miyuki was excited, and began to get jumpy. "You have to show me sometime—OH! How about I travel with you in Yuki? That way you'll be safe from ninja and you'll have company!" Tsunade stared at Miyuki quizzically.

"Why not," Tsunade said, shrugging. Miyuki squealed and leapt onto Tsunade.

"Great! I bet we'll be good friends—Sake-chan!"

O

FLASHBACK OVER

O

"We've been best friends ever since," Miyuki toothily said, grinning. She had her arm hung around Tsunade's shoulders. "Hey, that reminds me, where's Shizune?"

"She's catching up—we had a little spat with Orochimaru," Tsunade growled out. Miyuki grew serious.

"Let me guess—Sasuke, right," Miyuki whispered into Tsunade's ear. The blonde nodded. Miyuki sighed. "How troublesome."

"…Can I please go home now?" Sakura tiredly requested. "Tsunade's here so she can take care of the Tower, right?"

"Oh, yeah, go ahead Tsu-chan," Miyuki answered, shooing her off. "In fact, everyone can leave. Sake-chan and I have some catching up to do." Sakura ran out of the room wearing a smile. Haku and Hinata looked at each other before leaving as well. Naruto poked fun at his win against Neji while the two boys left.

"I have to leave as well?" Jiraya asked with faux charm. Miyuki gave him a small kick to his rear. "Fine, fine…"

"No bathhouses," Miyuki reminded, waggling a little finger at Jiraya's back. The old man raised his hand lazily as he left the room.

"…So," Tsunade began as she sat in her new chair. Miyuki stuck her tongue out at the loss of her temporary spot. "Inform me of the current problems." Miyuki nodded minutely as she sat down across of Tsunade and fingered the Hokage's hat.

"Konoha, as you know, was attacked by Orochimaru a week ago," Miyuki began. "Most of the deaths were Orochimaru's men—we only lost a few. There were injuries though… the most potent of the bunch is Rock Lee—his complete side is lame, and I believe you could fix him up." Tsunade nodded.

"Naruto told me about him."

"Yeah… now, do you want the complicated stuff?" Miyuki asked. Tsunade sent her a look saying, 'I'll find out later.' "Okay. Orochimaru is obviously after Sasuke's body and Sharingan. I have no doubt Sasuke will end up leaving to go to Orochimaru. We should watch the boy, but at the same time we can't be so obvious. Plus, we need all our ninja to ensure Oto isn't sending in spies and to help rebuild the ruin of Konoha. But at the same time we can't alert everyone to Sasuke's… position.

"Suna is also reaching out for a truce and wishes to be our ally. Orochimaru tricked them, and they are currently Kazekage-less. It's your choice to figure out what to do about that.

"And…" Miyuki drawled out sadly. "I plan to leave soon."

"What?" Tsunade asked. "I'll need your help around her Miyuki! You have much more experience in leading a country!"

"I'll hang around for a bit longer to help you, Sake-chan," Miyuki stated, suddenly serious and stony. "But I must leave soon."

"This is important, isn't it," Tsunade realized. Miyuki nodded grimly.

"I've left Setsugekka and Yuki for far too long. I trust the current leadership, but I can't feel too safe. And… I've found _her_."

"_Her_?" Tsunade asked, amazed. "You've found _her_ at last?"

"Yes, I have," Miyuki answered, smiling fondly. Tsunade gasped in recognition.

"It's that girl—"

"Shh!" Miyuki hissed. "I don't want that information leaking out, okay?" Leaning back in her chair, Miyuki crossed her arms. "I'll leave in a week or so. I can't be away any longer. My current search has lasted longer than I was permitted. It's more important to me to ensure my clan's well being and find the heiress than enjoying myself. I can't afford anything to happen to either of them." The blonde nodded seriously.

"Let's have some fun before then," Tsunade mentioned, eyeing the stack of papers on her new desk, "if I can ever get away from this paperwork." Miyuki laughed, lightening the dreary mood.

"Okay, okay, I'll pick you up tomorrow. Shizune should be back by then so she can cover for you, no?"

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it," Tsunade chirped. Miyuki smirked evilly.

"Now let's get focused on those papers," she ordered, earning a frightened face from Tsunade. The albino woman laughed, not feeling so free and careless in days.

O

O

O

O

Through the span of three days, Tsunade was instigated as Godaime, Lee was healed, and Sasuke was released from the hospital (after having a fight with Naruto on the roof). Haku was mentally healed, Hinata had been convinced the apocalypse was _not_ coming, and Neji had finally stopped dreaming about Sakura in lacy kimonos.

Sakura had the best sleep of her life. So much so that she slept in from 10PM to 10AM. She would've slept longer if Tsuyuki hadn't kept reminding her that it was morning. Not only sleeping, but Sakura worked herself back into shape, happily patting her now flat stomach. And she had been able to retrieve her regular clothing, and she had internally cheered, 'no more lace!'

Today though, Sakura had a biting suspicion something bad was going to happen… Something really bad. And, like the Chuunin Exams had proven, she was most likely right in her assumption.

Sakura walked the dark streets of Konoha, no longer having to stray towards the corners now that it was night. The day had been fun—Haku, Hinata, Neji, Miyuki, Tsunade, and she had all gone out for a surprise day of fun. Sakura, though had risked potential burn out, participated in most events of the day, happy to please Haku and see the others smile. What? She wasn't _entirely_ heartless.

But right now, it felt like the day was completely different. The happiness and joy of earlier hours had completely dissipated into paranoia and a gut wrenching fear. It made her farther on edge than she had ever been and she swore that her heart missed a beat. The darkness was in her night vision, allowing her to see farther. The way it worked was simple—all things had given off an aura that made them glow in a near-sharp picture. Living things glowed the brightest while nonliving were dull and lackluster. The moon, though, was like a large circle of perfect white, the brightest thing she saw at night.

Though it was a speck, Sakura could see the glow of a person. The odd thing was that it was right in front of the gates and slowly moving towards them to go out.

Something unnamed in Sakura jerked her forward to run after the boy, saying that it was the thing she had feared the whole day.

The pinkette dutifully listened to the sensation, as she had trusted it countless times before. Her pace quickened as it formed into a run, nearing the ever-growing glow. The glow formed Sasuke's soft features set in a face determined and hard. A backpack was slung over his shoulder.

'He's completely prepared to leave,' Sakura realized quickly. She ran, yelling out to him.

"Sasuke!? Where the hell do you think you're going!?" Sasuke turned, looking somewhat annoyed. The pinkette ran into the light, letting half of her be illuminated by the street lamp—which was odd for her, since she was seeing half night vision and half day vision.

The black haired boy stared at the girl behind him, startled and intrigued by her eyes. True, they both glowed, but the side that wasn't in the light owned a small white slit in her already slit pupils. Her hair blew in the slight wind, carrying a few strands into her serious face.

"Oto," Sasuke answered, unfazed. He continued to walk forward. Sakura sped up to him and grabbed his wrist tightly, forcing the boy to look at her face.

"For power," stated the pinkette, knowing the one wish Orochimaru was infamous for 'granting'. Sasuke made a committal sound. "…You do know that right after you step out of those gates… You are officially defected from Konoha and become everyone's enemy, yeah?"

"Of course. I've been thinking this over for some while, and it'll be the best for me," Sasuke answered, feeling a slight resemblance in her. Sakura breathed out deeply; not exactly a sigh, but not a sharp outtake. She slowly let go of the boy's wrist and ran her fingers over his long, elegant ones.

"Then what is my place to stop you?" she asked rhetorically, looking down. Sasuke, now, was somewhat surprised. She was letting him go free? "Just remember Sasuke…" Sakura looked dead into the black haired boy's eyes.

"Once you take a foot out of those gates, I'm heading immediately to Tsunade to report your traitorous act." The pinkette smiled fatally. "Then you can see what a Hunter's true potential is…" Mocking innocently, she smiled and added, "…just don't be surprised when you suddenly find yourself indisposed and in my damning arms."

Sasuke emotionlessly ripped his hand from Sakura's pale ones. "I'm fully aware… Get ready to run." The boy trudged to the gate with one arm loosely gripped on his strap. Sakura looked at the boy disappointedly.

"You are completely sure?" she tried once more. "Take one step out of the gates and that's it. It's do or die, Sasuke, and you must choose wisely." The countenance she wore was stony and cold and it silently portrayed an obvious threat. Sasuke still was unfazed in his decision, and proudly stood by his answer.

"I'll go nonetheless, Sakura," the Uchiha replied, beginning his final step out of the village gates. "It was fun while it lasted." Sakura stared at his back, giving him that uncomfortable sensation of paranoia.

"I hope that we will meet again soon," the girl commented. "And we could fight on the same ground." Sasuke stopped for a quick second to grunt in recognition before finishing his step.

"Goodbye, Sasuke," whispered Sakura, already turning to transport to the Hokage's Tower.

"Farewell, Sakura," Sasuke bid quietly. "I'll see you soon; I intend to." After giving his small promise, he leapt off into the night at the same time Sakura darted from her spot.

O

Sakura sped elegantly through the many streets of Konoha. She didn't know what to make of Sasuke's solemn pledge (though she was sure it would be interesting later on) but she wouldn't—couldn't dwell on it. Whatever devotion she owned to Konoha drove her faster.

_Run!_ Tsuyuki whispered faintly. _You must hurry! Bad things will happen if you fail!_

'How would you know?' Sakura pondered, trying not to loose her concentration by multitasking.

_I know these things_, Tsuyuki lamely answered, pushing on Sakura's mind to nudge her further. Sakura rolled her eyes and continued. She broke through the doors of the Hokage's Tower, alerting the shinobi there. She was too fast for them though in their shocked states, allowing the pinkette to charge into 

Tsunade's office. Tsunade and Miyuki both turned their heads as Sakura crashed into the room, breathing heavily.

"W-what—" Tsunade began, but was curtly cut off by Sakura's wheezed out words.

"Sasuke—leave—power—Orochimaru—just now—must go after!" the hunter coughed out before falling to the ground, completely breathless. Tsunade gasped as she immediately caught the message and Miyuki rubbed circles on Sakura's back, trying to ease her irregular breathing.

"Shizune!" Tsunade yelled. The black haired woman appeared suddenly after, ragged and surprised.

"Yes Tsunade-sama?" she asked.

"Get me Hyuuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, Haku, and Uzumaki Naruto!" Tsunade quickly answered, rattling off names like a gun.

"Tell them Uchiha Sasuke has defected Konoha."

O

"All right, shut up!" Tsunade yelled, hushing the gathered ninja. "Your mission is to chase down one damned Uchiha Sasuke and bring him back! He just left, so it should be easy to find him quickly. Break into groups to search a greater distance—got it? Good! No questions!" The busty blonde barked at everyone, "WHAT ARE YOU STANDING HERE FOR?! MOVE YOUR LITTLE ASSES AND CATCH THAT FUCKING BOY!!" The requested ninja jumped and ran out.

"Tsunade, why am I not going with them?!" asked Sakura, appalled the woman would send out Haku without her—his long time partner.

"I'm saving you for back-up," Tsunade harshly replied. "Don't you _dare_ complain girl." Miyuki stepped up and crouched down to Sakura's still sitting form.

"We're sure Orochimaru has sent out a team to help Sasuke," the albino woman informed. "Though we believe in ours' abilities, we can't be sure what insanity Orochimaru will come up with." Sakura sighed in frustration, already feeling useless and uneasy.

"I know that, I just think that they'll need my help right now," Sakura answered. "How would we even know they would need help?"

"That's why you're being dispatched in an hour or so," Tsunade answered. "Be ready." Sakura stood proudly now that her breathing evened out.

"I'm always ready."

O

O

A disgustingly slow hour passed for Sakura. The team had not yet returned with the Uchiha and the girl was slowly beginning to get strung up.

"Is it time yet?" Sakura asked impatiently, eyeing the clock on the wall.

"Leave, now," Tsunade ordered as the minute hand clicked to the large 12. Sakura disappeared from view instantaneously, leaving the room with two women once more.

"Good luck," Miyuki lowly muttered. Tsunade stared at the younger woman, unexplainably calm. The white haired woman turned to her best friend, eyes praising with a small tear. "You're doing quite well for a beginner, Sake-chan."

Tsunade sighed and fell flat onto her desk. "I feel so heavy and worried, Miyuki… I don't know if I can do this…"

"N-nonsense!" Miyuki chirped, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "As a leader of a great mass of people, you'll be forced to make dramatic choices that may alter your way of life forever. But it feels so rewarding when you finally get to see the profit of your choice." Tsunade looked up at her dear friend.

"You're always encouraging me, aren't you," she noted monotonously. Miyuki chuckled.

"Someday I'll have to be encouraged, and, if worse, be dug out of piles of flesh and rubble." The woman fell down onto a chair, suddenly appearing tired and worn. "Tsunade, do you think we'll ever be able to live peacefully for once in our lifetimes?"

"Never," came the humored response.

"Thought so," Miyuki breathed out. Hey eyes closed slowly. "I can't remember the last time I've felt at peace…" Her breathing slowed as she relaxed.

"I'll tell you if anything happens," Tsunade said. Miyuki nodded faintly and fell into a light slumber.

"Pray… for them…" she mumbled out before leaving Tsunade to her thoughts.

O

Sakura jumped from tree to tree. Her form was but a blur against the canopy she headed through. Using her awesome tracking skills, she was following Haku's path. If anyone was going to be rescued by her it would be the boy she pledged her faith, body, and soul to. The smell of blood quickly assaulted her nose. There were slight lines of blood she could see in the growing morning light, alerting her of the incoming carnage. She only hoped that it wasn't Haku's.

"Oh my god," Sakura whispered as she caught sight of the small clearing. Blood was everywhere. Pieces of clothing were caught on branches of dead trees. At the furthest end of the clearing stood her master with a monstrous being with two white-headed boy's heads. Both were bleeding, but as she had feared, it was Haku who was the most wounded. The brunette boy was proudly standing his ground, blocking against the opponent's attacks. He had a long, bleeding gash running down the side of his face, a little too deep for Sakura's tastes.

Haku was flung back slightly, allowing him to see Sakura's shocked form.

"S-Sakura-chan!" he called out, surprised and in pain. The girl snapped out of her stupor and ran to stand in front of her master.

"Haku-teishu, are you okay?" Sakura asked quietly, not turning to look at the wounded boy.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, coughing some into his hand. Sakura laughed darkly.

"Sure, of course."

"Anyways, don't let him hit you… His attacks are completely out of mind. It's the Cursed Seal." Haku watched as Sakura bit her thumbs harshly and glared at the two morphed ninja across from them.

"All right!" Sakura yelled out angrily. 'Let's just see what that scroll can do!' Forming the memorized seals, Sakura slammed her hands onto the ground (creating small fissures) and shouted, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Pure white smoke plumed up from the seals that painted themselves on the ground where Sakura's hands had hit. The smoke cleared to reveal a large Arctic Wolf. It was far larger than a normal size—a yard and a half long and only three and a half feet wide. It was a yard off the ground (ground to top of the spine) and made Sakura look much smaller than her usual statue-like height. Its brilliant white fur shined in the growing light. Brilliant eyes looked up at Sakura—left bold yellow, the right striking ice blue.

"Kit?" the wolf asked in a strong, matured, feminine voice. It slightly reminded Sakura of the voice she head in her Hyouden, but it wasn't as nonsense-less and wasn't as relaxed. "Yo, Kit, hear me?"

"Yeah," Sakura quickly answered.

"Thought you were deaf for a second," the wolf mumbled. "Anyways, name's Kano. I'll take care of this guy." Sakura only nodded, completely surprised and unprepared. It was all she could do, really. The large wolf quickly grew tense and her fur bristled. The conjoined ninja at the end of the clearing 'oo-ed' sarcastically when Kano crouched and snarled. Her large teeth, Sakura noted faintly, are nothing to be freelanced about.

Kano leapt fiercely onto the ninja, growling and snapping the whole way. Sakura slowly stepped backward to Haku, first ensuring Kano's safety in her position. The wolf seemed like she was having fun, so Sakura let herself completely turn and run towards the brunette.

"Haku-teishu," Sakura whispered, lifting the fallen boy up. The hunter winced in pain, but placed his hand on Sakura's.

"Thanks for coming," Haku coughed out. "I probably would be dead by now."

"Don't kid around!" Sakura angrily whispered. "You _are_ almost dead now!" Haku looked up sadly. The girl above him genuinely depended on his existence to continue. Yet he still did these things and made her worry…

"I'm so sorry…" Haku whispered, staring off to the side. Sakura clenched her hands, dirtying them with grass and dust. Haku looked up and gasped.

One of that sound ninja's weapons was barreling straight towards Sakura's heart.

"Watch out!" Haku yelled, pushing Sakura out of the way and making her fall to the ground. Sakura, in a surreal state, watched as if in slow motion the long weapon buried itself in Haku's stomach.

"HAKU-TEISHU!" Sakura screamed as reality caught up with her. Haku fell backwards, eyes closed in painful unconsciousness. Blood pooled out of his body, staining the fronts of Sakura's legs and a large part of her kimono. Sakura threw herself over Haku to lean above him.

"H-Haku?" she called in a small voice, disbelieving and scared. "Haku-teishu?" Sakura stared in fright at Haku's pale, unresponsive face. Her sleeves dripped with his blood as the pinkette raised her red hands to her face. She didn't cry. The broken hunter only stared at Haku's blood stained body.

_He's…_ Tsuyuki choked out in a strained, suffocated voice, _…__**dead**_.

Sakura stopped all bodily functions. Her heart stopped and she didn't breathe.

'He's dead.' Sakura stared at her hands. 'This is his blood.' Her wide, pinpricked pupil eyes slid to Haku's face. 'That's his dead face for the second time.' Her fingers slid together to hide her unclosing eyes from the sight. The horrible shock cut of the supply of chakra that kept Kano in this realm, causing the great wolf to suddenly disperse. The Sakon-Ukon combination ninja laughed at Sakura's feeble-seeming form.

"What?" they taunted. "So weak that you can't even protect your own ally?"

Sakura once again halted everything. Something inside her… snapped. It broke apart, more so than her current mentality. A presence pulsed inside her hollowed chest, filling the empty cavity with a certain rage-like comfort. Everything Sakura had ever felt in her life came out in a waterfall of hatred.

"SHUT UP!" Sakura screamed in the highest pitch she had ever heard herself scream. A scary effect was that strange, deep, mature echo that doubled her speech. The two voices were complete octaves. Sakon-Ukon flinched at the disturbing tone. Sakura kneeled over and held her head with her hands. Her head hurt. Her chest felt like it was going to explode.

_Submit to it_, Tsuyuki whispered in her mind. _Submit and you'll never feel pain again._

'But Haku-teishu… I can't—'

_Submit,_ Tsuyuki repeated, now taking a tempting tone, bribed, _and you can protect Haku from everything._ Sakura's breath hitched.

'Protect him?'

_So this will never happen again,_ Tsuyuki continued. Sakura's eye widened as she glanced back at Haku shakily.

'To keep Haku-teishu safe…' Sakura faintly muttered, '…I'll do anything.' The girl forfeited her consciousness to the overwhelming feeling.

O

O

O

Sakura woke with a startle in her snow laden Hyouden. She looked around expecting to see the usual white, but was instead greeted with red stained powder. She looked down quickly only to stare at a stained kimono. Her hands were contrasted with bright red blood. The ends of her loose hair were completely dyed crimson.

"Wh-what?!" she stuttered, shocked and still unstable. Tsuyuki loomed above her, seemingly very threatening. Sakura stared up at her. She suddenly spotted the blue moon over the smaller pinkette's head.

This time, the grand full moon lit the sky.

"Doushte?" Sakura asked to Tsuyuki, still staring at the glowing full moon.

"_She_ has finally been released from her cage," Tsuyuki answered without any emotion. She sounded emptier than when Sakura had first met her.

"Dare ka?" Sakura asked. Tsuyuki walked backwards to let Sakura stand. It was only when Tsuyuki walked back that Sakura noticed Tsuyuki was covered with more blood than she—practically from head to toe she was completely stained. Sakura stood shakily. Her breath escaped her as she saw a great wolf looming over all of them.

"Goddess of the Moon, Mistress of the Snow, Demon of the Night" Tsuyuki titled. The giant pure white wolf with ice blue markings on her cheeks seemed to smirk.

"Lady Izayoi of the Full Moon."

Sakura stood in amazement and awe. The monstrous sized wolf really did smirk this time.

"Hello, Hi-chan. How nice of you to join us."

"You—you're…" Sakura began, pointing weakly at the great wolf.

"Yes, I am that voice that you had heard." Izayoi smiled, causing her teeth to bear. "A Demon Goddess of epic proportions, eh?"

"D-Demon?!" Sakura repeated. "Why are you in h-here? I-in me? Am I… I _can't_ be…" Izayoi snorted.

"Dear lord, no, you're no jinchuuriki. No, you're _better _than that." Izayoi lifted down her tail for the two girls to climb up. Tsuyuki clambered up automatically while Sakura was hesitant. Once both pinkettes were on, Izayoi lifted them higher to her altitude.

"Do you see, Hi-chan?" Izayoi asked Sakura. The aforementioned girl looked around. All she could see was beautiful snow with ice trees. At the far edges that Sakura could see there was a glowing black line. She turned a little, only to see the glow continue. Confused and intrigued, Sakura continued to turn around. After pulling a full circle, she concluded there was a black ring around the area.

"That ring," Tsuyuki began quietly, "is what keeps Izayoi here. A sealed demon is contained in an everlasting seal."

"But she was in a cell before…" Sakura noted.

"That was because… your subconscious… locked her up." Tsuyuki answered. Sakura thought she sounded phony, but you never knew with the emotionless girl.

"I believe that you are in trouble," Izayoi stated, letting the two girls down. "A certain brunette seems to be dying once more and is need of my service again."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, already beginning to regain her instability.

"When Haku died the first time," Izayoi began, "my power was leaked through a small gate created by your emotional breakdown. I was able to bring him back to life." Sakura looked at the demon in gratitude. "But as I was saying, you seem far too unstable to fight. And, Haku is hanging by a thread." Sakura glared at the bluntness.

"If you allow my presence to leak into your essence, you will be able to protect and save Haku." Sakura breath caught in her throat. "There is one consequence though…"

"And that would be?" the older pinkette asked.

"The complete loss of your control and mentality," Tsuyuki answered. "You will have to rely on your instincts and only your instincts." Sakura was silent.

"I believe in myself," she said, looking into Izayoi's eyes sincerely. "I believe I can contain myself." Izayoi closed her eyes slightly in a proud manner.

"Good answer."

Izayoi's eyes glowed as they bored into Sakura's. The girl screamed as pain overtook her body and a burning sensation appeared on her cheeks. Her eyes stung as she felt something move around. Tsuyuki watched emotionlessly in the red snow. Soon, she walked into a small cave created by Izayoi's nine tails (Sakura believe there was one for every phase of the moon, including an eclipse), seemingly tired.

Sakura whimpered in pain as she fell face first into the bloodied snow and into the real world.

O

O

O

Sakon-Ukon had never seen anything of this caliber in their lives.

Right before them, the same pink haired girl who had been in a fatal position was screaming in pain as ice blue slashes tattooed themselves onto her skin. Her eyes were wide open, but weren't seeing anything. The pupils in her eyes slit, giving her an animalistic aura. Powerful swirling ice blue chakra created a double helix around the pinkette. The only thing they had ever seen close to this was a cursed seal transformation.

A new, demonic Sakura let her hands fall from her tattooed face. Dangerous, ice blue eyes glared at the joined ninja, sending bad, tingling sensations down their spine. Sakura peered at Haku viciously.

'Not prey,' she noted in an animal-like manner. The girl moved her eyes to the conjoined ninja in front of her. '_Prey_,' she cruelly, viciously sneered. Sakon-Ukon felt the change in aura immediately. Sakura's face had grown somewhat insane, snarling wolfishly with a hint of a smile. Her pose was tense and ready to tackle them down.

"Like we'll be eaten," Ukon muttered to Sakon. Sakon dryly chuckled.

"No," Sakura called out darkly, hearing them with enhanced hearing, "you're too nasty to eat… I'll only smear your insides around the ground and play in your blood." Sakon-Ukon flinched at the morbid thought. The demonic hunter giggled sickly as she hunched in a position resembling Kano's earlier form.

"Are you ready?" Sakura sang tauntingly. In a split second the girl was in front of the joined duo, successfully sending him back. Her face never changed from that insane smile. "Come on!" The pinkette crouched back down. "You're no fun! Prey is supposed to run!"

Sakon-Ukon leapt back up, trying to run away from the insane girl. It was an action in vain though, since Sakura was far faster than they were now.

"Faster!" Sakura hissed at the two as she darted in front of them and slammed her fist into Ukon's face. The duo flew back with a sickening crack. Ukon groaned in pain as blood flowed from his now broken nose.

"MOVE IT!" the girl screamed as she appeared next to the twins' side and delivered a quick cork screw kick to it. A rib or two cracked from the force, piercing into the twin's lung. Both boys coughed blood at the pain. Ukon struggled to stand, but Sakura, who was impatient and unstable, felt it was already too late to redeem themselves in this game of chase.

"Too late!" she giddily chanted, running to meet the struggling duo. As she ran her nails grew longer and sharper than their already sharp and long form. A deadly intent came into Sakura's ice eyes when she jumped and slowly fell to Sakon-Ukon. The twin froze in fear and sweat fell down their faces. They yelled in pain when Sakura fell on them and pushed her hands right through their stomach, sending up blood. Sakura was in the blood's direct direction, resulting in her bath of red.

"Does it hurt?!" Sakura screamed at Ukon's face, pulling out her hands harshly and grabbing his arms.

"No!" Ukon yelled in vain. "NO!" Sakura laughed at the pitiful request and began to pull his arms. Both twins screamed as their arms slowly unlatched from their respective places. More blood spewed from all the openings, and sent Sakon-Ukon into a series of spasms.

"MORE!" Sakura hauntingly yelled. "MORE PAIN!" Grabbing a senbon from her obi, Sakura slammed the weapon straight into Ukon's left eye. The poison took affect ad began to eat the eye away with its toxins, making both twins scream in unfathomable pain. Sakura reveled in their screams as she raked at their chest, cutting and slashing it apart. Sakura grabbed one of the broken ribs and turned the duo over so Sakon was more visible.

"Nighty night," Sakura teased quietly as she slammed the rib into Sakon's forehead. Blood sprayed all over the place, only instigating Sakura more than before.

"SAKON!" Ukon screamed through his pain. Sakura angrily threw him back so she was staring at Ukon once more.

"Not dead _yet_?" she hissed, glaring into his sole eye. Ukon lost his voice in fear when Sakura eyed his neck. "I'll take care of that." Sakura leaned Ukon's head to the side so his throat was more visible. Slowly she moved her head down so her fanged mouth was right above the precious flesh, resembling a vampire. The demonic child giggled slightly when she bit into the flesh. Ukon made a gurgling sound as blood flowed into his broken neck. He died slowly, crying from pain. Sakura made an angered sound when she felt Ukon go limp, and tore out of his throat.

Tiredly, she got up. Her blood coated hands were trembling. Licking her lips, she trudged towards Haku. She slowly leant down and smelled him.

'Pack,' she titled dully as she placed a glowing have over his wound. The hole stitched together and Haku began to look more alive slowly. Sakura pulled him over her back. Blood stained his already red body. Using her little energy left she jumped off.

As the demon travelled she smelled more blood from all directions. One scent intrigued her: it was still slightly alive. Heading towards the smell, she came upon a clearing ridden with sand and bone. An albino boy was lying in a pool of blood, crying slightly. Sakura slowly came over to loom above him. Blood from her hair dripped onto his pale face. 'A potential pack mate.'

"I failed you…" the boy whispered out and coughed. "Orochimaru-sama…"

Sakura watched him quietly. "Do you wish to live?" she asked emotionlessly. Kimimaro looked up at her.

"What's the point?" he asked the demonic hunter. "I have no reason to live," cough, "now that I've failed Orochimaru-sama." Sakura glowered from above him and grew a cattish smile.

"I shall bring you back into the world of the living and heal you of that infection of your lungs," Sakura bargained, "but you must pledge allegiance to me."

"And give me a reason?" Kimimaro croaked out, slowly falling farther into the darkness of death. Sakura smiled demonically and nodded. "Bring me back to life and give me a use." His eyes closed and Sakura placed one hand over his heart. It glowed with an icy flame that absorbed into Kimimaro's chest. The boy jumped back into life and coughed blood before falling back into unconsciousness. His breathing sounded clear.

Sakura wordlessly laid Haku down and hefted Kimimaro onto her back. Gently, she pulled Haku into a bridal hold and ensured both boys were secure. With her new strength both boys felt like feathers. With strengthened legs Sakura blasted off to Konoha. Slowly her power began to fade and she came to halt at the front of the gates.

The pinkette kneeled down and laid Haku down ad plopped Kimimaro off her back. Sakura panted as her vision faded. Izumo and Kotetsu ran to her as they spotted her. Sakura fell face forward, weak, but managed to grab both boys' hands.

"An Oto nin!" Izumo gasped. Sakura growled, still sounding demonic.

"He is _mine_," she warned. Slowly her eyelids fell and she struggled to stay out of the black. "Make… sure… they're… safe…" Black overwhelmed Sakura's vision. The girl's tensed form grew limp and her demonic features faded away. Her peaceful face and slowed breathing signaled her sleep.

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WHEEE!! Chapter eight! I've never thought I'd be able to do it! I've been so busy, and, well, lazy. Plus the chapter wouldn't get written. That's bad. X.x

Sasuke has left! YAY!

A lot of gore. M considerable, I wonder…

Hoho! Kimimaro has joined the crew! Ad Izayoi is FINALLY revealed!

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Hitae-ate—ninja's headbands

-teishu—master

Kuchiyose no Jutsu—Summoning Technique

Doushte?—Why?

Dare ka?—Who?

Izayoi—sixteen day old moon (a full moon)

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PREVIEW

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Sasuke has left. Sakura managed to save Haku, but at a high cost. Is Izayoi dangerous? Tsuyuki also seems to know something more. What's going to happen?

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Sakura brings back the two boys, but at a costly price: some of her humanity. The plan fails and Sasuke escapes. Blood stained and broken, Sakura will require mending more than ever, now that she must wait for Haku and Neji to wake up from their slumber. Insanity threatens to take her over without any pillar for her to hold onto. Will she lose it or will the brunettes wake to save her from… herself?

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Review please!


	9. Chapter 9

Full Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and one Hunter Nin, but two Hunter Nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink…

Disclaimer: No own.

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Yay! 10 Reviews! (But it's really 17, thanks to the wonderful **StrongerThanISeem.**)

Kindcrazynarutofan—Yeck to Sasuke! Lol.

Xladyxkittyx—I will!

Nejisakura—I will! I love this story.

Emogurl1234—Thanks!

13th Hour—But of course! It was pure gold. I just can't seem to kill off Haku, huh? Not in this or Fuketsu Rensa… Heheh…

Silver lone wolf—It only gets better…

xXHyuugaSakuraXx—I love that anime! I have to get updated on it though. Thanks!

Grace Antares Whitlock-Hale—Thanks!

StrongerThanISeem (reviews 1-8)—You just rocked my world. You're so awesome. This is dedicated to you for reading my entire story and reviewing every chapter within a day!

Falling leaf—Thanks. XD

Shadow Quil—Thanks!

Sadistic-Bitch—How about now? Lol.

Sakura4Eva—You don't suck. I do for being so incredibly late.

Sara1965—I know! I know! I'm a total asswipe! **(WINNER OF 100****TH**** REVIEWER TITLE)**

Freaked Out Angel—My pairings shall come as they may! Heehee!

CrimsonVampireFreak—I am!

AppleL0V3R—Okay, okay, Apple.

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All right. Let's just go ahead with the chapter. I don't have much to say, really.

Except I wanted more drama. Heheh.

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Musical Inspiration: Super Mario Bros. Brawl (FTW) OST, and other random tracks

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Warnings: Haku's Protective

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Page Count: 9

Word Count: 3326

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**Frost**

**Chapter 9**

**A Demon's Instincts (A)**

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Sakura lay on her bed, face up. She stared at the startlingly white ceiling continuously, not moving a single muscle. The pink haired child had woken up a day ago to discover a disorienting acuteness of her every sense. Smells of the hospital attacked her nose, stinging it with a scent that was most likely sterilizing agents. Her eyes scoped in on random things when she had cringed under the horrible smell, only making her feel a horrible sense of vertigo. Her now sensitive ears could hear footsteps rushing to her room after she had tumbled into a stand of clinking objects from confusion.

"Sakura-san?!" She heard being called out. Shakily, she glanced towards the people, not expecting anything she was about to see.

Now, she knew the first person she saw was Lee. Sakura could see glimpses of an aura around the boy that danced erratically. The areas around his healing arm and leg were glowing in a dimmer shade than the rest of his aura. Different colors flooded into her line of sight, and accidentally she scoped in of the frantic movements of the five auras in the room. The bright and dulled colors contrasted with the insanely bright white of the hospital walls, and made Sakura recoil into the bedside. Her new headache coupled with her previous pains of the new senses was too much for her, causing the girl to faint in a cold sweat.

She woke up an hour or two later, and according to Miyuki's frantic explanation, her heart had apparently stopped for a minute before resuming beating.

At the moment, Sakura was trying to figure out the horribly crippling senses of hers. Tsuyuki wasn't speaking up (much to the pinkette's dismay), and she hadn't thought of trying Izayoi. The demoness stayed back in a content laze, finally free to wander around the head of her vessel. The wolf had at least subdued the new sensory abilities for a short while, allowing Sakura to think clearly.

'Ugh.' Tiredly, Sakura squirmed in discomfort. Staring at white was starting to hurt her vision.

**Something wrong?** Izayoi asked. Sakura glared at the demon.

'Yes. I would just covet the information of how I could control these horrible abilities of mine.' Izayoi's laugh ticked Sakura off. 'What's so funny?'

**There's no controlling anything anymore, Hi-chan,** Izayoi snickered. **You made the pact when you released me. Your sacrifice was a sample of your mortality! You're reduced to animalistic senses and urges now!**

'…I gave up my humanity?' Sakura wondered quietly.

**Yes, but only a small amount of it. You're not going to think like an animal, and you're not going to look like one. Of course your senses are probably the most affected thing right now.** Smirking, Izayoi added, **but be aware that you now have an animalistic nature, so to some degree you will act like you did when it comes to your 'pack'.**

'…Pack?' Sakura winced as the word triggered a sudden wanting to check up on Neji, Haku, and Kimimaro. 'What was that!?'

**Just an example**, Izayoi teased. **Expect to be insanely protective of anyone close to you.** Sakura mocked the wolf, trying to ignore the sensation in her chest. It worked for five minutes until the sensation turned into something painful.

'I can't take this anymore!' Sakura thought exasperatedly before tearing out of her room and running to where she felt Haku and Neji. She pushed the question of how she could _feel_ them to the back of her mind as she rushed. The hospital staff only felt a gentle breeze as she ran past them.

The pink haired speed demon halted in front of the door that led into Neji and Haku's room. Her hand trembled as she reached to open the door. Her white dress hung loosely and shook along with her arm. Tsuyuki chose then to appear and wordlessly pushed Sakura into the room.

'Tsuyuki?!' Sakura yelled. The smaller girl only continued to push Sakura into the room before disappearing once more.

Sakura gasped as she tumbled through the door and grabbed the banister to steady. In result she swung towards the direction of both boys' beds. Something inside her stopped when she saw both of the brunettes out cold. Shakily, she stumbled towards the two males. Her pupils had shrunk to pinpricks when she first spotted them.

"N-Neji?" she asked to the motionless boy on her left. Sliding her eyes to the right, she whispered, "Haku-teishu?" Their auras—Neji's: milky silver chocolate, Haku's: pretty blue—were both dimmed and had a hurt look to them. Some scattered flares of pure white appeared now and then in Haku's icy aura.

**That's your aura, from when you first healed him, **Izayoi explained. **It's being absorbed into his own aura so the next time an aura-exchange is necessary, it won't strain his body. Actually, **Izayoi added with a small giggle, **you've been unconsciously inserting your own aura into your companions! I wouldn't be surprised why Neji's aura looks milky…** Sakura didn't mind the wolf's amused jabs as she looked at the two's handsome faces.

"Neji still looks so serious even in sleep," Sakura mumbled, not really there. She cautiously inched towards his bedside and reached out her hand to slide it across his cheek. She flinched when a sharp shock conducted between her finger and Neji's pale cheek. 'What…?'

**That would be your aura contrasting with Neji's. If you keep in contact with these two, your aura will probably be able to heal them and speed up their recovery. **Izayoi nodded wisely. **Just don't think it'll be lightning fast results. You'll probably have to stay for a few days to completely brighten their auras.**

'So… I can heal them?' Sakura said with a hint of happiness. Right now, with her in her dark trench of numbness, anything would make the pinkette hopeful.

Sanity _had_ almost escaped her right now.

**Eh,** Izayoi grunted, **to an extent.** Immediately, Sakura pulled up a chair and parked herself into it. Purposely, she grabbed the boy's hands and tried not to mind the sudden jolt.

'Like I told you before…' Sakura quoted herself. 'I'll do anything for Haku-teishu! Little or big!'

**Then what about the other boy? **Izayoi asked slyly. Sakura took a sharp intake of breath once she started to think about it.

'…Neji's… different!' Sakura preached to the wolf. 'He's… my… my friend!'

**Just a friend?** Izayoi asked in her velvet voice. **Or something more? You treat him just like your 'teishu' here…** Sakura shook her head.

'No! I… I…' Sakura stumbled around her words, starting to feel confused and tired. Izayoi's sense sedater had worn off, and everything was beginning to change perspective. 'I…'

**Shh, **Izayoi interrupted. **Go to sleep, Hi-chan.** Sakura could feel her head bobbing and her eyes drooping. Before she knew it, Sakura had fallen into her dream world—and another vision.

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"_No!" Tsuyuki cried helplessly. The young girl leant over the body of a familiar red headed girl. "Hiki-nee-chan! Don't-don't die!" The child hugged the teenager, not paying attention to the growing puddle of blood or the many wounds decorating Hikigane's body._

"_Tsuyuki," Hikigane tried saying through her bloodied mouth, not adding the usual -chan. "I need you to run, okay? Otou-san's coming. Once he finished with Okaa-san, he'll come after you."_

"_NO!" A wail broke through Tsuyuki's pale mouth. "Tsuyuki will not leave Hiki-nee-chan alone!"_

"_GO!" Hikigane yelled, glaring at Tsuyuki. "Leave! Don't look back! I want you to go and live! Run as far as you can!" Tsuyuki shook as tears cascade down her face like a never ending waterfall._

"_Tsu-Tsuyuki loves you," the shaking girl whispered as she crouched to get up. Hikigane smiled as best as she could and put up two fingers in a peace sign._

"_Go… go for it," the red head said with trouble. Hikigane's white eyes widened when she saw death hanging over Tsuyuki's head. "Tsuyuki!" Hikigane cried out as she pushed the smaller girl out of the sword's way. The pinkette could only watch as the wakizashi with a black handle swung down and into Hikigane's head, instantly killing her. Blood splashed onto her face, creating a sick line of red splotches. Horror and anger seeped into Tsuyuki's face as the blood rolled down her white face._

"_Heh," the red haired man chuckled as he tore the wakizashi out of Hikigane's head. "I missed." Tsuyuki snarled like an angry animal when her eyes landed on her father's face._

"_You killed Hiki-nee-chan!" Tsuyuki accused. "Your own DAUGHTER! Are you going to kill me now too!?" The man laughed in a mad manner._

"_Of course!" the insane father bellowed. "Just like your mother and sister!" Genkou chortled darkly. Tsuyuki screamed, making the man look at his daughter. Tsuyuki's hands were twitching as her nails grew longer and her teeth sharpened._

"_**I'LL RIP THE LIFE OUT OF YOU!"**_ _Tsuyuki shrieked, pouncing on the deranged adult. Genkou's eyes widened and—_

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Sakura's eyes snapped open. A nurse was trying to separate her hands from the two boys, but stopped momentarily in shock. Sakura growled at the woman with sharpened teeth. The nurse stumbled back, alerting the other doctors in the room.

"Miss—" one of the doctors tried to calm Sakura down. It was unfortunate that her mind frame was being dominated by animalistic instincts that told her to protect her pack from _anything_.

"**I'm not going anywhere,"** Sakura warned with her and Izayoi's double voice effect. The doctor stepped back in fear. **"They are **_**my**_** pack, and are **_**my **_**responsibility!" **Another doctor tried nearing Sakura, but she jumped back when the pinkette almost roared. **"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" **The poor medic ran out of the room, terrified. A nurse, smarted than the others, spoke in a gentle voice.

"Okay, we won't force you to leave. Can we at least give them a check up to see their progress?" Sakura scoffed at the lady.

"**Do it quickly,"** Sakura advised in a more calm voice. The civil nurse thanked Sakura and began to examine Neji while the male doctor nervously began on Haku. The nurse and doctor gasped when their chakra probed the boys'.

"They're almost completely healed—yesterday they weren't even close!" the nurse exclaimed, confused. The male medic glanced at Sakura.

"You're doing this, aren't you?" he asked. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and nodded. "How…?"

"**My pack is familiar to my aura," **Sakura explained lowly. **"My aura can heal my pack members better than any medic could."** The male thought this over and walked away from Haku. He beckoned the nurse to follow him.

"We'll leave you alone then," he stated, walking out the door. "You seem to know what you're doing."

Sakura glared at him through the closed door. She calmed and her shoulders dropped. Glancing over to her boys, Sakura noticed their auras were much brighter than their usually dull color.

"That's good," Sakura whispered, fatigued already from the disturbing dream, the sudden wake, and all the commotion. Sleep once again gnawed at the edge of her senses, and Sakura willingly obliged.

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By the time Neji awoke, Sakura had found their healing progress satisfactory and removed herself from their bedsides. Instead, she opted for a window seat. Blearily, the Hyuuga looked around, trying to gather himself as best as he could. Surprisingly, he didn't feel the pain or tire Neji had expected to—instead, the brunette swore he could fight off an entire army by himself. Gently, he pushed himself into a sitting position using his right hand (which, oddly, felt tingly and chilled). He was alerted immediately of the other presences in the room—he saw Haku lying in the adjacent bed, and Sakura, sitting with her head balancing on her fist at the window.

"S-Sakura?!" he mumbled lowly, minding Haku's sleep. When he received no response Neji began to worry. Taking a closer look, he found out why—Sakura had a distant haze in her eye and her body was slack. Even though she appeared to be staring out to peer at the life outside the hospital, rebuilding itself, her eyes were not seeing. Her breathing was even and nothing seemed to be troubling her.

Haku moaned quietly, and shifted slightly; Neji quickly focused on the other brunette. Haku's brown eyes gently opened to see the white ceiling of the hospital. The ex-Wave nin shakily held up his hands and experimented flexing his fingers. Neji thought the other male almost seemed to be amazed he could do something of that sort.

"I'm alive?" he questioned, audibly showing the distress in his voice. "It's… it's impossible!" Neji stared at the deranged lad for a moment before asking what he was babbling on about. Haku lightly felt his facial features, and then moved to feel where the Sound ninja's weapon should've impaled through. No wound in sight.

"Haku," Neji called, looking at him with expectant, luminous eyes. The brown eyed boy quickly darted his eyes toward the female in the room, shaking his head.

"I shouldn't be alive, Neji-san," Haku admitted, holding his forehead woefully. "During the mission to retrieve Sasuke, I…" Placing a hand over the invisible wound, "…I was stabbed right here by my enemy when Sakura arrived as backup. My stomach and a few other organs were punctured, including a few delicate places…" Neji nodded knowingly, aware of such a complication.

Haku breathed in deeply, "I… I think it was Sakura." Quietly, he turned to stare at his long time partner. She looked undeniably beautiful; like a statue. "She was screaming when I lost consciousness… And from what I know of her, Sakura screaming is never a good thing." He breathed out, clenching his fist whilst doing so. "I'm not stupid. This has happened once before—our first meeting with Team 7." Neji perked his ear, interested. Haku, seeing the change in Neji's bored posture to listening, sighed.

"I'm sure you're aware that we were previously nuke nin, bounty hunting for a man named Gato. Sakura should've told you this much," Haku began. Neji thought for a moment then nodded.

"She's shared such information—you were affiliated with Momochi Zabuza, before you met Naruto…"

Haku looked away. "Yes, I was. Sakura was more or less concerned with me. Well, during the climax of the last battle we all had… I took the killing blow for Zabuza-san: Kakashi-san's Chidori." Neji gasped slightly, now putting together the pieces of Haku's troubles together.

"So this should be the second time you should've died," Neji concluded, eyeing the brunette. Haku affirmed his thoughts.

"Yet here I am, alive. And again, I remember Sakura in hysterics before blacking out." Haku turned toward Sakura, who was still unresponsive. "I'm positive Sakura saved me somehow, then and there. In both occasions I could not be transported safely to a hospital, and I was pretty much a half dead corpse. Besides…" Haku glanced up at Neji, "can't you feel it?" Neji looked at him quizzically. "There's a stronger bond between us and Sakura… And I'm positive you also suffered terrible wounds, and yet you and I are completely healed and fine. How can that be?" Neji stilled, and contemplated this.

'He's right,' the Hyuuga realized. 'Sakura was the only constant in both situations… And even now, here she is.'

"She's amazing."

Neji swung his head towards Haku (who now stared endearingly at Sakura). Did he hear that right? Was he _seeing_ right? Haku sighed and rested his head in his hand, mimicking Sakura's pose.

"I'm amazed every day, Neji-san. She keeps growing each time I look at her—soon she'll be a grown woman." Dejectedly, Haku fell back onto his bed. "Being with someone for so long makes you feel nostalgic, Neji-san. I remember every minute of our first times together, and the fierce dedication she had… and still has. But now, I'm noticing something."

"What?" Neji asked, somewhat irritable. For some odd reason or another, he felt protective of the pinkette—he did **not** like how Haku spoke of Sakura. It was different than usual. Haku glanced at him with a very deep stare.

"It's not just me anymore, _Neji_," Haku spoke, refraining from using his formalities. He continued on, not minding Neji's ghastly facial expression. "Sakura's accepting more and more people as she gets to know them better… I dare even say you and Hinata have wedged yourselves into her heart. She's protective of you, almost to the extent of her devotion to me." Haku grew quiet before sliding off his cot. Neji watched him with calculating eyes as he strode over to Sakura's side.

"What's wrong with that?" Neji dared to ask, still feeling edgy. Haku took a lock of Sakura's hair and twisted it gently.

The brunette stopped playing with Sakura's hair after a moment and grew solemn. "That's what I don't know. Part of me wants to say nothing is wrong, but…" The teishu dropped Sakura's hair and returned to his bed. His (now biting) coffee eyes turned to dive into Neji's.

"The other part of me wants to say _everything's_ wrong with that."

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Look at that… Part A. Well, I'm terribly sorry for the delay—I've had so much work I can't get personal things done.

I found this a good place to end it off… Anything after Haku's confession would ruin the drama. C:

So who else likes this development? I know _I_ do. I've always wanted at some point for Haku to say outright he's noticing Sakura's changes… and half-not liking it, half-proud. Fitting irony.

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Any Japanese in this should be understandable by now. And I'm too lazy to go and define anything.

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PREVIEW

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After awakening, Sakura finds that the cost to save Haku might've been _too _high for her to handle. And can Haku settle his disturbing confusion about Sakura? What is she to him: a precious friend, a doting sister, or… something else?

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Sakura awakens from her open-eyed thoughts, only to find Haku and Neji nearly killing each other with scorning stares. Even in her state of mind, will she be able to mend them, when she needs to be mended herself? Or, will she be forced to choose between Haku, her master, and Neji… her… unknown?

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Feel free to kick my ass for being lazy and late.


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